35 Singapore officers deployed to Nepal return after supporting disaster victim identification and drone training

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s 35-member Operation Vanguard contingent has returned safely after an 18-day deployment to Nepal from Sep 1 to 18, 2026, where officers from the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Health Sciences Authority (HSA), and HTX provided specialist disaster victim identification and aerial surveillance support following flash floods along the Nepal-China border.

The contingent, comprising 31 SPF officers, two HSA Forensic Medicine Division officers, and two HTX Integrated Forensics Service officers, was deployed at the request of Nepali authorities. Working alongside Nepali counterparts, the team conducted post-mortem examinations, fingerprint recording and identification, and trained officers from the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force in drone operations to strengthen Nepal's longer-term disaster response capabilities.

A reception was held at HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir on September 26, 2026, to recognise the contributions of the 35 deployed officers and more than 100 personnel and external stakeholders who supported the mission from Singapore. Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong attended as Guest-of-Honour alongside family members and senior representatives from MHA, SPF, HSA, and HTX.

Minister Tong thanked the contingent for representing Singapore with professionalism, resilience, and compassion, and acknowledged the families, planners, coordinators, logistics teams, and partner agencies whose support enabled the mission to be carried out effectively.

The SPF said the mission’s success reflected the readiness, dedication, and professionalism of all officers and partner agencies involved.

In other news, online financial fraud and romance scams linked to organised crime networks operating out of Southeast Asia have grown into a global-scale threat costing the world an estimated US$442 billion (S$564 billion) annually, Interpol has warned, as Cambodia and Myanmar move to dismantle illicit scam operations embedded within their borders.

You may read the full story here: Interpol warns online fraud linked to Southeast Asian scam syndicates costs world US$442 billion a year