SINGAPORE: Singapore state investment firm Temasek said on Sunday (Apr 25) that medical equipment, including much-needed oxygen-related supplies, are being sent from Singapore as India faces a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Four cryogenic oxygen cylinders, donated by India's Tata Group, landed in the Indian state of West Bengal on Saturday evening, said Temasek in a Facebook post.
The oxygen tanks were airlifted from Singapore's Changi Airport by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft and arrived in India at Panagarh airbase in West Bengal.
More medical supplies, including oxygen concentrators and ventilator machines, will be sent to help "local communities in urgent need", said Temasek.
"The first batch of medical supplies will arrive in Mumbai this evening (Sunday) ... they will be supplied to various hospitals and COVID treatment centres across the country."
Medical supplies from Singapore bound for India. (Photo: Temasek/Facebook)
Oxygen concentrators are devices that concentrate oxygen from ambient air by removing nitrogen. Hospitals in India have reported running out of oxygen supplies as cities struggle with a coronavirus case load that has been setting daily highs for the past week.
On Sunday, India posted 349,691 new cases, a global record for a fourth straight day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, saying the "storm" of infections had shaken the country.
In Delhi, where the capital is located, a lockdown that was meant to end on Monday has been extended for a week to try and stem the transmission of the virus.
SINGAPORE/BANYUWANGI - Indonesian authorities said on Sunday (April 25) that the submarine which went missing during naval exercises was found cracked into three parts on the seabed in the waters north of Bali island, and all 53 crew on board were dead.
Indonesian national armed forces commander, Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, told a press conference that the KRI Rigel, Indonesia’s hydrographic survey vessel, had carried out a “more accurate scan” of the spot where the ill-fated submarine was last detected.
“Based on the authentic evidence, I declare that the KRI Nanggala-402 has sunk and all the crew have died,” Air Chief Marshal Hadi said. “They’re the best soldiers... and may the God Almighty reward their good deeds and dedication.”
The 44-year-old submarine was taking part in a torpedo-firing drill off Bali last Wednesday when it dove and lost contact. More than 20 vessels from Indonesia and countries including Singapore and Australia were deployed in search-and-rescue efforts.
At the same briefing, Indonesia’s Navy Chief of Staff, Admiral Yudo Margono, said the KRI Rigel had carried out “significant underwater contact using a multi-beam sonar”, but its ROV could not go deeper than 800m, so the task was handed over to the MV Swift Rescue for visual confirmation.
A tattered bright orange escape suit floating in the dark waters gave a glimpse of what might have happened.
“This escape suit was usually kept in a box. The fact that it has come out of the box means there was an emergency situation... Either they were not able to put the suits on fast enough, or the submarine shook while they were trying to put them on,” Adm Yudo said.
A handout photo shows a safety suit found at the site of the missing submarine in waters off Bali, on April 25, 2021. PHOTO: AFP/INDONESIAN MILITARY
The next step will be to coordinate with other agencies, as well as foreign navies, to lift the wreckage, he added.
The tragedy marked the first submarine disaster in Indonesia, which has been replacing its ageing military equipment. Adm Yudo dismissed the possibility of human error, saying the crew had met all necessary requirements for the dive.
The disaster has devastated the country.
President Joko Widodo said in a statement broadcast on Sunday: “This tragedy has shocked us all.
“We convey our deep sorrow for this tragedy, especially to families of the submarine crew. They were the best sons of the nation, the best patriots who guarded the sovereignty of the country.”
An image from the camera of the MV Swift Rescue vessel, captured at a depth of 838m, showing the dive rudder from the sunken submarine. PHOTO: THE INDONESIAN NAVY An image from the camera of the MV Swift Rescue vessel, captured at a depth of 838m, showing hull parts from the sunken submarine. PHOTO: THE INDONESIAN NAVY
Mr Oni Suryono, a 50-year-old driver and resident of Banyuwangi, a coastal city in East Java close to the rescue operations, said: “They are our compatriots, national heroes. Before this naval exercise, they had gone everywhere to guard the nation and maintain the country’s sovereignty.”
He wrote on Facebook: “As a fellow naval officer, we are saddened that our rescue team was not able to save the sailors.”
The Republic of Singapore Navy’s MV Swift Rescue was dispatched on April 21, 2021. PHOTO: NG ENG HEN/FACEBOOK
The incident is believed to be the first major submarine disaster for Indonesia, which has been upgrading its ageing military equipment.
South-east Asia’s most-populous country has sought to revamp its military capability, yet some equipment is still old and there have been fatal accidents in recent years.
Residents of the East Java town of Banyuwangi, which hosts the naval base from where search-and-rescue operations are being conducted, joined nationwide calls to accelerate the modernisation of Indonesia’s defence forces.
“This can be a learning point for the government to advance its military technology and be careful in how it uses its (existing) technology because its people’s lives are at stake,” said 29-year old resident Hein Ferdy Sentoso.
Indonesia had five submarines before the latest accident: Two German-built Type 209s including Nanggala and three newer South Korean vessels.
NEW DELHI: India set a new global record of the most number of COVID-19 infections in a day, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (Apr 25) urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, saying the "storm" of infections had shaken the country.
The United States said it was deeply concerned by the massive surge in coronavirus cases in India and was racing to send aid to India.
India's number of cases surged by 349,691 in the past 24 hours, the fourth straight day of record peaks, and hospitals in Delhi and across the country are turning away patients after running out of medical oxygen and beds.
"We were confident, our spirits were up after successfully tackling the first wave, but this storm has shaken the nation," Modi said in a radio address.
Modi's government has faced criticism that it let its guard down, allowed big religious and political gatherings to take place when India's cases plummeted to below 10,000 a day and did not plan on building up the healthcare systems.
Hospitals and doctors have put out urgent notices that they were unable to cope with the rush of patients.
People were arranging stretchers and oxygen cylinders outside hospitals as they desperately pleaded for authorities to take patients in, Reuters photographers said.
"Every day, it the same situation, we are left with two hours of oxygen, we only get assurances from the authorities," one doctor said on television.
Outside a Sikh temple in Ghaziabad city on the outskirts of Delhi the street resembled an emergency ward of a hospital, but cramed with cars carrying COVID-19 patients gasping for breath as they were hooked up to hand held oxygen tanks.
Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal extended a lockdown in the capital that was due to end on Monday for a week to try and stem the transmission of the virus which is killing one person every four minutes.
"A lockdown was the last weapon we had to deal with the coronavirus but with cases rising so quickly we had to use this weapon," he said.
US READIES HELP
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington was sending help.
"Our hearts go out to the Indian people in the midst of the horrific COVID-19 outbreak. We are working closely with our partners in the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and India's health care heroes," Blinken said on Twitter.
The United States has faced criticism in India for its export controls on raw materials for vaccines put in place via the Defense Production Act and an associated export embargo in February.
The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine maker, this month urged US President Joe Biden to lift the embargo on US exports of raw materials that is hurting its production of AstraZeneca shots.
Others such as US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi urged the Biden administration to release unused vaccines to India. "When people in India and elsewhere desperately need help, we can't let vaccines sit in a warehouse, we need to get them where they'll save lives," he said.
India's total tally of infections stands at 16.96 million and deaths 192,311 after 2,767 more died overnight, health ministry data showed.
In the last month alone, daily cases have gone up eight times and deaths by ten times. Health experts say the death count is probably far higher.
A person walks past funeral fires of those who died from COVID-19 at a crematorium in New Delhi, India Apr 24, 2021. (Photo:Reuters/Adnan Abidi)
People were arranging stretchers and oxygen cylinders outside hospitals as they desperately pleaded for authorities to take patients in, Reuters photographers said.
"Every day, it the same situation, we are left with two hours of oxygen, we only get assurances from the authorities," one doctor said on television.
The surge is expected to peak in mid-May with the daily count of infections reaching half a million, the Indian Express said citing an internal government assessment.
V K Paul, a COVID-task force leader, made the presentation during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state chief ministers and said that the health infrastructure in heavily populated states is not adequate enough to cope, according to the newspaper.
Paul did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Experts said India became complacent in the winter, when new cases were running at about 10,000 a day and seemed to be under control. Authorities lifted restrictions, allowing for the resumption of big gatherings.
BALI: All 53 crew members on board a sunken Indonesian submarine have been confirmed dead, with debris of the vessel found, said Indonesia's military chief on Sunday (Apr 25).
Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said search teams had received "visual images" which have been confirmed as parts of the KRI Nanggala 402 submarine, such as the rear vertical rudder, anchors and the outside of the pressure body.
"... Based on authentic evidence we state that KRI Nanggala 402 has sunk and all of the crew members have died.
"Therefore, with deep sadness, as the commander, I declare that 53 KRI Nanggala 402 personnel have died," said ACM Tjahjanto at a press conference in Bali.
An undated underwater photo released on Apr 25, 2021 shows parts of submarine KRI Nanggala 402 that sank in the Bali Sea, Indonesia. (Photo: Indonesian Navy via AP)
SUBMARINE ESCAPE SUIT FOUND
The military showed what it said was a submarine escape suit found by search teams. Navy chief Admiral Yudo Margono said the suit would normally be stored in an "emergency box". He suggested that someone had perhaps taken the suit out of the box but did not manage to wear it.
An undated underwater photo released on Apr 25, 2021 shows a submarine crew's escape suit recovered from the site where submarine KRI Nanggala 402 sank in the Bali Sea, Indonesia. (Photo: Indonesian Navy via AP)
Adm Margono said the MV Swift Rescue's Remotely Operated Vehicle was deployed at 7am. At around 9am, it obtained visual images of the submarine at a depth of 850m.
An undated underwater photo released on Apr 25, 2021 shows parts of submarine KRI Nanggala 402 that sank in the Bali Sea, Indonesia. (Photo: Indonesian Navy via AP)
"The KRI Nanggala is divided into three parts, the hull of the ship, the stern of the ship, and the main parts are all separated, with the main part found cracked," he said.
Investigations are under way for the cause of the sinking but the navy chief told reporters he ruled out human error, saying that the correct procedures were in place when the submarine dove.
An undated photo released on Apr 25, 2021 shows parts of submarine KRI Nanggala 402 that sank in the Bali Sea, Indonesia. (Photo: Indonesian Navy via AP)
An attempt will be made to lift the submarine but because of the rarity of such an operation, he said the military had yet to determine how it would do it.
The Indonesian submarine went missing on Wednesday while taking part in a torpedo drill in north Bali waters.
The military earlier assumed that the submarine experienced a power outage. In that condition, the submarine could have run out of oxygen by 3am on Saturday.
In a statement on Sunday, President Joko Widodo said: "This tragedy shocked us all. Not only the families of the 53 crew members and the navy, but also the entire Indonesia people."
"We all, the people of Indonesia, would like to convey our sadness ... especially to the families. They are the best sons of Indonesia, the best patriots."
SINGAPORE OFFERS CONDOLENCES
Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Sunday said he had called his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto to offer deepest condolences to the families of the crew.
"We grieve together with the TNI (Indonesian Armed Forces) and the affected families for the loss of these brave men and patriots of the Golden Shark unit on board KRI Nanggala," said Dr Ng in a Facebook post.
"May they rest in peace, having served their country with the utmost dedication and ultimate sacrifice."
Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala sails in the waters off Tuban, East Java, Indonesia, as seen in this aerial photo taken from Indonesian Navy helicopter of 400 Air Squadron, in this Oct 6, 2014 photo. (Photo: AP/Eric Ireng)
The wreckage of the submarine was located by Indonesian Navy ship KRI Rigel in the Bali Strait using sonar, added Dr Ng.
The Indonesian Navy then cued Singapore's MV Swift Rescue to provide visual confirmation and retrieve parts of the wreckage using its remotely operated vehicle, he said.
MV Swift Rescue leaving Changi Naval Base to join the search operations off Bali. (Photo: Facebook/Ng Eng Hen)
Singapore Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean on Sunday expressed "deepest condolences" on the loss of the vessel and the crew.
"As a fellow naval officer, we are saddened that our rescue team was not able to save the sailors," said Mr Teo, who was Singapore's navy chief before entering politics.
In a Facebook post, Mr Teo added that the Singapore Navy's Remotely Operated Vehicle was able to recover a "few critical items" from the seabed at a depth of more than 800m.
"We hope that this will help the families find some closure and certainty on the fate of their loved ones," said Mr Teo.
YANGON: Myanmar's shadow government of ousted lawmakers has welcomed a call by Southeast Asian leaders for an end to "military violence" after their crisis talks in Jakarta with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
The general attended a high-level summit on Saturday (Apr 25) with leaders from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss Myanmar's mounting crisis.
Since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a Feb 1 coup, Myanmar has been in an uproar - with near-daily protests and a nationwide boycott of work in all sectors of society staged to demand a return to democracy.
Security forces have deployed live ammunition to quell the uprising, killing more than 740 people in brutal crackdowns, according to local monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
The ASEAN meeting produced a consensus that there would be "an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar", the bloc said on Saturday.
It added that ASEAN will also have a special envoy to "facilitate mediation" between all parties, and this representative will be able to travel to Myanmar.
But while they "heard calls for the release of all political prisoners", a commitment to free them was not included in the consensus statement.
A spokesperson from the shadow government - known as the National Unity Government - on Saturday said ASEAN's statement was "encouraging news".
"We look forward to firm action by ASEAN to follow up its decisions and restore our democracy and freedom for our people and for the region," said Dr Sasa, the National Unity Government's minister of international cooperation, who is currently in hiding with the rest of his fellow lawmakers.
Protests continued in Myanmar on Apr 24, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Handout)
The lawmakers - most of whom were part of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party - are wanted for high treason by the junta.
Overnight, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc will continue to call for the release of political prisoners.
"BUSINESS AS USUAL"
Myanmar's pro-democracy activists sharply criticised the agreement between the junta's chief and ASEAN, and vowed on Sunday to continue their protest campaign.
"Whether it is ASEAN or the UN, they will only speak from outside saying don't fight but negotiate and solve the issues. But that doesn’t reflect Myanmar's ground situation," said Khin Sandar from a protest group called the General Strikes Collaboration Committee.
"We will continue the protests. We have plans to do so," she told Reuters by phone.
As Myanmar nears three months under the military regime, escalating violence by its security forces - especially in urban centres - has pushed protesters and prominent activists into hiding.
The junta has also throttled communications across the country, imposing a nightly Internet shutdown for 70 consecutive days and restricting mobile data to a mere trickle.
By Saturday, the number of detainees climbed to 3,389, according to AAPP.
Independent news outlet the Irrawaddy confirmed on Sunday that a former editor, Thu Thu Tha, was arrested in Thanlyin, a port city across the river from commercial hub Yangon.
"In spite of Min Aung Hlaing's appearance in the ASEAN summit, it's business as usual," Irrawaddy's founder Aung Zaw told AFP, adding that most of his staff are currently in hiding.
On Saturday, as the junta chief attended the meeting with ASEAN leaders and foreign ministers in Jakarta, soldiers and police fired on protesters near Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw.
Myanmar has been shaken by a wave of protests after the military coup that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi AFP/STR
One 50-year-old protester was held by the police and shot dead by a soldier, an eyewitness told AFP.
Despite the threat of violence, protesters across Myanmar continued to take to the streets on Sunday - from the northern jade mining city of Hpakant to eastern Karenni state.
In central Myingyan - where brutal crackdowns have forced residents to hide in nearby villages - protesters smeared red paint on some of the city's buildings to protest the bloodshed.
"Give power back to the people," read graffiti on the city's sidewalks.
"We realised that whatever the outcome from the ASEAN meeting, it will not reflect what people want," said Wai Aung, a protest organiser in Yangon. "We will keep up protests and strikes till the military regime completely fails."
Myanmar's security forces have used force to try and quell the pro-democracy protests, with hundreds killed in the crackdown. (File photo: AFP/STR)
Several people took to social media to criticise the deal.
"ASEAN's statement is a slap on the face of the people who have been abused, killed and terrorised by the military," said a Facebook user called Mawchi Tun. "We do not need your help with that mindset and approach."
Aaron Htwe, another Facebook user, wrote: "Who will pay the price for the over 700 innocent lives."
"WILL THE KILLING STOP?"
State-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar on Sunday reported on Min Aung Hlaing's visit to Jakarta and said he discussed the country's "political changes".
But it made no mention of ASEAN's consensus for a halt to violence.
UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said it remains to be seen how effective the bloc's engagement will be.
"The result of the ASEAN Summit will be found in Myanmar, not (in) a document," Andrews tweeted on Sunday.
"Will the killing stop? Will the terrorising of neighbourhoods end? Will the thousands abducted be released?"
The junta has justified its power seizure as a means to protect democracy, alleging electoral fraud in November elections which Aung San Suu Kyi's party had won in a landslide.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said he received his first dose of the vaccine on Feb 26 and the second dose on March 19.
His parents arrived from India on April 15, and his father tested positive upon arrival in Singapore and was admitted to a hospital.
His mother was placed in quarantine from April 16 to April 30 as she was identified as a close contact who was on the same flight as two dependant's pass holders who had arrived from India.
MOH said her son, the Singapore PR who is a senior executive at Wirana Shipping Corporation, had asked to care for his mother at the quarantine facility.
She tested negative on April 15 and 17.
He moved into the same room as her on April 16, and developed a blocked nose on Friday (April 23). He was then taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases on Saturday.
MOH said while the Covid-19 vaccine was effective in preventing symptomatic disease for the vast majority, it was still possible for vaccinated individuals to get infected.
"Further research is required to determine if the vaccination will also prevent onward transmission of the infection," it said.
The other four locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 reported on Saturday were close contacts of a previously confirmed case, a 39-year-old Indonesian man who was a sea crew member on board a bunker tanker.
This means a new cluster has been formed.
He had preliminary tested positive on April 16 for the B117 variant that was originally reported by the United Kingdom and is said to be more contagious.
MOH said the four new infected cases were sea crew working on board bunker tanker MT ALLI and had not disembarked from the vessel except to go for Covid-19 testing or vaccination.
Two of the four received the first dose of their vaccines on April 7 and April 15.
MOH said: "As it typically takes a few weeks for an individual to build immunity after completing vaccination, they were likely to have been infected before they were conferred protection after vaccination."
All five new local cases had already been placed under quarantine earlier, said MOH.
There were also 18 imported cases, who had already been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore, bringing Saturday's total cases to 23.
SINGAPORE: A new COVID-19 cluster was reported in Singapore on Saturday (Apr 24) after four community cases were linked to an Indonesian sea crew who tested positive last week.
The four - all Indonesians - were working on board the same bunker tanker as the earlier case. They were placed on quarantine on Apr 16 after being identified as close contacts of Case 62113.
Among the four, three are asymptomatic. The other case developed a cough on Apr 21 during quarantine but did not report it, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
They were all tested on Apr 22 during quarantine and their results came back positive on the same day.
They had not disembarked from the vessel, MT ALLI, except to go for COVID-19 testing or vaccination, said MOH.
Two of the men - Case 62348 and 62350 - received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Apr 15 and Apr 7 respectively.
"As it typically takes a few weeks for an individual to build up immunity after completing vaccination, they were likely to have been infected before they were conferred protection after vaccination," MOH said.
The Indonesian crew member whose infection was confirmed last week was preliminarily positive for the B117 strain.
MOH said on Apr 18 and this was pending further confirmatory tests. The B117 variant is the more contagious coronavirus strain first detected in the United Kingdom.
Case 62113 was asymptomatic when his case was reported.
His infection was detected when he was swabbed as part of rostered routine testing on Apr 15, the same day he received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
"As the vaccine does not contain live virus, he could not have been infected due to vaccination," said MOH.
The man had tested negative in earlier rostered routine testing, the last of which was on Apr 1.
His serological test result was negative, indicating that he likely had a current infection.
He had not disembarked from the vessel except to go for COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
Singapore now has four active COVID-19 clusters, including one linked to an accountant at OM Universal. Her son and husband who is a restaurant manager have tested positive. Their infections are linked to a household contact - an imported case who was "probably re-infected" in India, MOH said previously.
