KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) has given RM500 cash payout to 104 personnel including 26 civilian staff, whose families were affected when floods hit the Batu Tiga Camp in Temerloh, Pahang recently.

Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the handout was in addition to the RM1,000 assistance announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and RM500 aid through the Pahang state government.

He said apart from cash, Mindeff had also supplied food baskets as well as basic household equipment such as refrigerators, kettles, stoves, rice cookers, pillows, mattresses, bed sheets, blankets and beds.

Hishammuddin said the ministry had also channelled an allocation of RM10,000 specifically for the al-Quran and Fardu Ain School at the Batu Tiga Camp for repair and restoration works.

"InsyaAllah, additional assistance will be announced from time to time for members of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), Mindef civilian staff and MAF veterans nationwide who have been affected by the recent floods. May all your difficulties be eased,” he said in a post on his official Facebook page yesterday.

Hishammuddin said electricity supply at the camp has not been fully restored though the floodwaters had receded but he was thankful that Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has been supplying continuous power by using generators.

In urging TNB to expedite the repair works he said electricity supply was important at the camp not only for operational purposes but also for the use of the MAF families residing there. — Bernama