PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK (PDMIN)
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Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Update

January 6, 2005

Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

Table of Contents:

Overview......................................page 2-5

Indonesia.....................................page 6-14

Sri Lanka......................................page 15-23

Thailand.......................................page 24-32

Overview

· Search and rescue operations for last month’s (December 26) massive tsunamis are largely over. The tsunamis were triggered by an undersea earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale off the west coast of Indonesia’s northern Sumatra Island and killed more than 150,000 people along the coastal areas of some 11 countries in the Indian Ocean. The fate of nearly one million people along the western coast of Indonesia’s Aceh remains unknown. The overall focus of attention is now quickly shifting to relief and recovery efforts. Tsunami-related deaths have been reported in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, Bangladesh, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. The loss of life has been particularly severe in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. According to the Indonesian Health Ministry, the death toll has now climbed to over 94,081, with the possibility of 100,000 or even more in the northern province of Aceh on the island of Sumatra and along the 115 miles of the islands along Indonesia’s northwestern coast, which is close to the epicenter of the earthquake. WHO estimates 80 percent of Aceh’s west coast has been damaged. UN officials think the number of people dead and affected by the disaster in Indonesia could significantly climb once authorities were able to assess all hard to reach areas. The death toll in Sri Lanka and India has also climbed to in excess of 30,000 and 9,400 deaths respectively. India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as the southern state of Tamil Nadu, have been the worst hit areas. The death toll in Thailand’s resort islands of Phuket and Phi Phi has now climbed to over 5,000, including some 2,500 foreigners from at least 36 countries. More than 400 combined deaths have also been reported in Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. UNICEF officials say the health situation in India’s worst-hit district of Nagapattinam in the southern state of Tamil Nadu is “decent.” An adequate supply of clean drinking water has prevented the outbreak of an epidemic. (Jan-3, AFP, AP, NDM India, Multiple)

· The United States has designated Thailand’s Utapao Royal Thai Naval Air Force Base near Sattahip city in Chonburi province as its hub to coordinate relief efforts for countries affected by last week’s tsunamis. The US has already deployed its surveillance aircraft, helicopters and C-130 planes to Utapao along with 350 officials who will coordinate with Thailand’s 536 Task Force, under the command of Marine Lieutenant General Robert R. Blackman.

· The United Nations (UN) has accepted Singapore’s offer to set up a UN Regional Coordination Center there to coordinate relief efforts to affected areas. According to Singapore’s foreign ministry officials, Singapore would provide its Air and Naval bases, the use of its aircraft and helicopter carriers as well as dedicated administration, secretariat, command, control & communication, and media support center for the UN Regional Coordination Center. Singapore has also waived charges for handling of relief supplies at its ports. Singapore’s Paya Lebar Air Base and Changi Naval Base in the southeast are capable of taking largest transport aircraft and aircraft and helicopter carriers respectively. (Jan-03, Xinhua, JP, AP)

· Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono presided over an international donors’ meeting today (Thursday, January 6) in the capital Jakarta to discuss the tsunami/earthquake crisis. Heads of state from 19 nations and representatives from seven international organizations attended the summit at Jakarta Convention Center. Heads of states and senior officials from 10 ASEAN nations as well as Australia, China, India, Japan, Maldives, New Zealand, South Korea, Sri Lanka, United States, United Nations and the World Bank attended the meeting. Among the notable attendees included US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan and Australian Prime Minister John Howard, as well as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, World Bank head James Wolfensohn, World Health Organization Director-General Lee Jong-wook, Asian Development Bank President Tadao Chino, and officials from the European Union. World leaders adopted a joint declaration to provide emergency financial support, help tsunami-hit nations reconstruct their communities, and establish an early warning system in order to prevent the recurrence of similar disasters. Australia has pledged AU$1 billion (US$765 million) to help Indonesia rebuild infrastructure,e making it the largest contributor thus far. (Jan-6, CNN, Xinhua)

· UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today (January 6) launched a “flash appeal” for nearly US$1 billion (US$977 million) to fund emergency relief for countries affected by last month’s tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The appeal covers a six-month period for humanitarian emergency needs of an estimated 5 million people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles and Somalia. The appeal is the largest in response to a natural disaster in the United Nations’ 60 years of existence. Annan stressed that billions of dollars pledged by foreign governments, corporations and private individuals were needed now and pledges needed to be converted into cash quickly. (AFP, AP, UNNC, CNN)

· United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) in Geneva has called for a ministerial level meeting next Tuesday’s (January 11) to discuss tsunami disaster. OCHA has sent out invitations to all permanent missions to the UN in Geneva.

· The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) head Jan Egeland says pledges exceed US$2 billion; Secretary-General Kofi Annan says it may take ten years and cost tens of billions of dollars to reconstruct devastated areas. Annan said he is concerned that some of the US$2 billion pledges may never materialize. Germany and Australia are expected to significantly increase their aid contribution. Australia plans to announce a US$385 million aid package for Indonesia to restore infrastructure. According to unconfirmed reports, Germany is considering upping its pledge to US$665 million (500 million Euros). (Jan-04, AP, Reuters, AFP)

· Britain is the latest country to join the call for a debt moratorium for countries affected by last week’s tsunami disaster. European countries led by Germany and France had earlier called for debt relief for the worst-affected countries. British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, is saying a repayment freeze could total as much as US$5.7 billion a year for the affected countries. He said the debt freeze will be offered as part of a broader package of emergency aid and reconstruction funds to severely hit countries that would include Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Paris Club members will discuss the proposal at its meeting on January 12. Italy has issued a similar appeal to G8 nations. Last week, Canada placed a unilateral debt moratorium for affected nations with immediate effect. (Jan-05, AP, BBC)

· US Secretary of State Colin Powell told a news briefing in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta that the “core group” formed by the United States in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami disaster to “catalyze” the international response will fold itself into the broader coordination efforts of the United Nations. US President George W Bush on Wednesday (December 29) announced the creation of a “core group” comprising the United States, India, Australia and Japan to help mobilize and coordinate response efforts. (Jan-6, AFP, Reuters, CNN)

· World Health Organization (WHO) officials in South Asia estimate as many as five million people have been displaced and are at risk across the region. In Indonesia alone an estimated 1 million people are either displaced or homeless. However, at this stage of the crisis the actual extent of both those affected and those displaced remains unclear. Many are in temporary camps or sites close to their homes; the West coast of Indonesia’s Aceh, which was the area closest to the epicenter, has yet to be assessed.

· WHO says an estimated 500,000 people believed to have been injured in the tsunami disaster. Officials are warning of a “health disaster” if the survivors were not given quick access to clean drinking water. There have been some reports of diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia and skin infections in Indonesia. However, so far there have been no reports of disease outbreaks. WHO is seeking US$60 million for the next six months to overcome the threats of water-borne and respiratory diseases. (Jan-4, AFP, Reuters)

· UN experts are warning of possible epidemics within days if health systems are not brought up to speed. According to the UN, water, sanitation, food, shelter and medical teams with supplies are priority sectors to stem any disease outbreaks. Due to the contamination of drinking water sources and stagnant water, the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, malaria and dengue fever, remains very high. Food and medicine in many areas are in short supply. Health experts at the UN and International Committee of the Red Cross warn of significant number of additional deaths due to possible outbreaks of disease. The risk of malaria is significantly high due to warm temperatures. Sri Lanka is particularly vulnerable to malaria due to the recent monsoon season as standing water provides ideal conditions for mosquito breeding. (Dec-30, UN News Service, PBS)

· WHO is encouraging setting up smaller-sized camps for displaced survivors. WHO Director-General Dr. Lee Jong-Wook is saying smaller camp sizes would lessen the risk of disease outbreaks, such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid, that can otherwise spread easily when people are packed in together.

· A number of logistical problems remain despite some progress. Although main roads are now accessible in most affected districts in Sri Lanka, except Batticaloa, transport capacity is insufficient to move relief supplies inland. Distribution mechanisms remain weak. The Sri Lankan government, in conjunction with the United Nations Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC), is reportedly addressing these problems. In Indonesia, backlogs at Banda Aceh airport and nearby Medan airport due to shortage of loading and unloading equipment and resulting congestion in North Sumatra Province, are diminishing with the opening of airport facilities in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia. A tracking system for the relief shipments is still in the works. Problems reportedly still persist with customs clearance as officials are not fully aware of the government’s simplified new procedure. Civil-military cooperation remains weak. The UNJLC is sending a liaison officer to USPACOM in Honolulu to improve coordination and communication with the US military. There have been no reports of pending logistical issues from Thailand.

· The US military is doubling its helicopter fleet from 46 to over 90 in an effort to speed up tsunami relief operations for tsunami-stricken nations in the Indian Ocean. Admiral Thomas Fargo, Commander of the US forces in the Pacific, said yesterday that the additional helicopters would come from US military assets in South Korea and Guam.

· Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs is saying at least 1.6 million people affected by the disaster are in need of food aid.

· United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is seeking US$80 million in urgent humanitarian aid for an estimated 1.5 million children in the region. The appeal is part of a UN flash appeal to be launched this Thursday (January 6).

· International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched a consolidated appeal for US$59 million for the crisis.

· In an unprecedented call by a non-government organization (NGO), the Nobel-prize winning international medical relief group, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said today (January 4) that it had collected US$54 million in donations since last Sunday’s (December 26) tsunami disaster, adding that the organization had enough funds to assist millions of affected people in South Asia. MSF is urging donors to redirect funding to those crises that have slipped from public attention.

· German insurance giant Munich Re estimates the cost of damage to buildings and foundations in the affected regions to exceed US$13.6 billion.

Indonesia

Organization

Overview………………………………………………………...page 7

Domestic Response……………………………………………page 9

Government

Local Humanitarian Organizations

International Response……………………………………….page 11

Foreign Governments

United Nations

International Humanitarian Organizations

Indonesia Overview

Michael Elmquist, who is coordinating aid efforts in Aceh for the UN, expressed cautious optimism that people in Banda Aceh and the immediate surrounding areas were not “short of any assistance” regarding food, water, sanitation, health and shelter. Indonesian Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab said in a joint press conference with Elmquist in the provincial capital, that most of the hundreds of thousands of survivors in the area were getting essential aid. “The immediate requirements of survivors are being met in most areas but there is still so much to do. Some areas of the west coast have to be reached,” he said. Elmquist reiterated concern for the population on the west coast of Sumatra and added that the international aid effort is “about to reach its peak in intensity.” He explained that as the concern becomes one of public health rather than emergency treatment, many of the initial responding medical teams will probably return home.

The Indonesian Ministry of Information and Communication said yesterday that some 476,619 people are “refugees” (displaced) from the disaster and the numbers could increase as there were still many others uncounted. Aid organizations have also been saying that they believe the numbers of displaced are also much higher. The number of homeless has risen from yesterday’s number of 387,607. Perhaps 1 million are affected or displaced and in need of immediate relief. The official death toll for Indonesia remains at around 94,081, with another more than 7,191 people missing. The Indonesian government says that the homeless are living in “refugee camps.” The Indonesian Ministry of Health says that the death toll comprises 93,841 from Aceh province, with some 240 from adjacent North Sumatra province. Another 1,609 have been reported injured. Hardest hit Aceh province (population estimated at 4.1 million), at the northern end of Sumatra Island, was only 93 miles (150 kilometers) from the earthquake’s epicenter. Some 30,000 have died in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh alone, the ministry reports. Worst hit areas in Aceh include the capital, Banda Aceh, at the very northern tip, and the northwest coast, a stretch of about 155 miles (250 kilometers) southeast from Banda Aceh. The 1999 population for the very northern tip of Sumatra around Banda Aceh was about 500,000. There were another 500,000 in the Aceh Barat region, including the city of Meulaboh on the northern part of the west coast and an additional 500,000 in the Aceh Selatan region, including the city of Tapaktuan, along the southern portion of Aceh Province’s west coast.

Hundreds of UN officials and international aid workers have set up a temporary headquarters in a neighborhood of Banda Aceh. UNHCR says that a UN assessment mission is set to explore the remote western coast.

US continuing to fly daily missions to isolated areas along the coast, dropping off aid and returning with the sick or wounded. The US military says it would double the number of aid deliveries by Friday (January 7) as more helicopters arrive. Marine Col. Dave Kelley, chief of US Support Group-Indonesia, which is based at the Banda Aceh airport, says that he is trying to increase the facility’s capacity and was searching for other landing fields. With ships arriving from a Marine strike group to join the USS Abraham Lincoln either later today or tomorrow (Friday, January 7) the number of operational helicopters should double from around 10 to 20. Helicopters yesterday flew at least 45 missions, according to reports. Crews report that pockets of survivors are still being found.

There are reports that some injured survivors have been making it into Banda Aceh on their own seeking help. Yesterday, US Navy Capt. David Lausman, the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln’s executive officer, said that Indonesian military and civilian officials were directing US crews to the villages that needed the most help. He says that survivors were beginning to “coalesce into makeshift refugee camps” and were organizing themselves in the unloading of aid, which is in contrast to earlier trips when villagers mobbed helicopters. Aid workers say that many more survivors along Sumatra’s isolated west coast were still cut off from most of the relief effort, with destroyed bridges and roads still perhaps some weeks away from being rebuilt. In some of the hardest hit areas in remote locations, Jan Egeland, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator, says that the death toll would likely reach “tens of thousands of further deaths.”

The main hospital in Banda Aceh, Zanoel Adidin general hospital, partially reopened today (Thursday, January 6) with the emergency ward reported to be operating again. The hospital had been severely damaged when the tsunami hit some 11 days ago. A spokesperson for the hospital says they hope to open other wards in the coming days with the help of the Red Cross. People were reportedly being treated in makeshift wards outside the main building.

The UN says that the threat of a major outbreak of waterborne diseases is diminishing, largely due in part to the amount of medical aid reaching the affected region. Jamie McGoldrick, an official at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says that the amount of aid flowing into areas was having a “positive impact” and bottlenecks were starting to clear up. He says that an early UN focus on the threat of cholera, typhoid and dysentery has helped to prevent a major outbreak, although the incidence of diarrhea has increased in some areas. He says that the UN didn’t need to implement its plan to combat an outbreak of waterborne diseases in the region. However, health officials continue to warn that if basic needs, particularly access to clean drinking water, are not restored by the end of this week, there may be a risk of infectious disease outbreaks. Yesterday (Wednesday, January 5), while touring Banda Aceh, WHO Director-General Dr. Lee Jong-wook, said that WHO estimates that as “as many as 150,000 people are at extreme risk, if a major disease outbreak in the affected areas occurs.” Dr. Ronald Waldman, who is coordinating WHO efforts in Indonesia, reiterated earlier reports that in many of the injured, some superficial wounds were becoming infected. More people are reportedly being treated for infections than anything else, medical workers are saying. Measles also reportedly is considered a threat and UNICEF says that it will start mass vaccinations in the area soon.

Some doctors have expressed concerns of a possible malaria outbreak, as ideal breeding conditions for the disease were already bad in Aceh before the disaster. At least three of Aceh’s five hospitals are working, however shortages of beds have been reported, US officials say. The Associated Press reports that small clinics are opening across Banda Aceh as well.

Today the United Nations launched a Flash Appeal at the international tsunami conference in Jakarta. For Indonesia, some US$371,554,203 has been appealed for various sectors. Sectors to be funded include: Water and Sanitation, Agriculture, Coordination and Support Services, Economic Recovery and Infrastructure, Education, Family Shelter and Non-Food Items, Food, Health, Multi-Sector, Protection/Human Rights/Rule of Law, and Security.

The government of Indonesia has begun laying the groundwork for four camps around Banda Aceh. The UN plans to provide tents and equipment for up to 500,000. There are an estimated 1 million left homeless in the area. Camps that have already been set up are overcrowded and lack proper facilities.

Around 150 small makeshift camps have sprung up around Aceh, reports say.

Some reports say that a lack of air traffic controllers has compounded the congestion of aircraft at the Banda Aceh airport. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says that the main road between Medan to Meulaboh is open for land transport, but an assessment may be needed as the security situation is not known. The ports of Belawan in Medan and Lhokseumawe in east Aceh province are the nearest operational ports for the transport of relief supplies.

Indonesia’s National Coordination Board for Disaster Management (Bakornas) says that the following are urgently needed: Oxygen, baby food, medical teams and supplies (including minor surgery sets, suction equipment, bronchoscopes, measles and anti-tetanus vaccines), as well as emergency tents, health post establishments, women’s sanitary kits, generator sets and communication items.

Most flights to Banda Aceh originate from Medan on the east coast of North Sumatra province with some coming directly from Jakarta. Medan is closer to some of the devastated west coast areas than Banda Aceh.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has urged separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels to lay down their arms and help to rebuild the devastated province. Both the Indonesian government and GAM had declared unilateral ceasefires earlier last week. Indonesian military (TNI) reporting some small, sporadic clashes in a few areas. Blame GAM for attacking where relief work being done. However, GAM leadership in Sweden say rebels still being attacked and accuse military of stepping-up operations. Anthony Banbury, Asia director at the WFP, says that he was concerned about the safety of WFP staff, especially in Aceh, and had doubled the number of security advisers to 8. The administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Andrew Natsios, says that he knew of at least one supply convoy that had been interrupted by the conflict. However, some aid workers say they do not feel threatened by the GAM as the rebels only appear to target the TNI.

Domestic Response

Local Government

· Disaster Management Centre being set up in Jakarta by Indonesian government to coordinate relief actions of all national and international actors. (Jan-5, UNJLC)

· A convoy of trucks from the Indonesian military (TNI) has been provided to WFP and has left Medan for Singkill. From Singkill, the food aid is ferried to offshore islands. (Jan-5, UNJLC)

· The Indonesian military (TNI) has some 20,000 troops on Sumatra for the relief effort. (Jan-4, AP)

· The Indonesian military (TNI) is repairing a bridge and immediate road access down the west coast of the province. (Jan 3, IFRC)

· Indonesian police have deployed around 800 officers to Aceh province to fill the posts of some 450 killed in the disaster, the Antara news agency reports. 300 are from the elite Mobile Brigade (BRIMOB) unit. (Jan 2, Kyodo). National Police chief Da’I Bachtiar says that the number may be inadequate so more troops may be deployed. The police will be stationed in emergency police posts across Aceh, set up to help return civil order to the province as many police stations were damaged or destroyed. On Friday (December 31) the Indonesian Defense Force said that some 517 soldiers had been killed in Aceh from the disaster.

· The National Coordinating Agency for Disaster Relief and Refugees (BAKORNAS) will handle GOI agencies in the relief effort, while MEKOKESRA will handle international assistance. (December 30, US Consulate Medan)

· There is an Indonesian disaster response command center in Medan near the airport. (Dec 30, US Consulate Medan)

· The Indonesia government has laid out three-phase plan: Emergency measures through January 2005 followed by rehabilitation through February 2006 and reconstruction, also through February 2006. (Dec 30, Indonesian Mission to UN)

Local Organizations

• Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) has 32-person disaster response team in Meulaboh. Relief for some 20,000 people going to town. (Jan-6, Aus Red Cross)

• World Vision Indonesia started aid distribution in Aceh on January 4, and delivered food aid from the WFP to some 4,100 displaced. Food aid will be followed by distribution of tents and family kits for some 5,000 people in next two days. (Jan-6, WV)

• Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V. (HELP) cooperating with local volunteer group, WALHI, in Aceh and other regions. Both will provide food and shelter to some 20,000 homeless in Aceh. (Jan-6, HELP)

· Two Jakarta-based aid organizations, the Humanitarian Emergency Commission and the Aceh Working Group (AWG) have said that government red tape was hampering their relief efforts. (Jan-6, Jakarta Post)

• Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) disaster response (SATGANA) volunteers providing some community support tasks and collecting bodies for burial in Aceh. PMI members are in Banda Aceh, Meulaboh and Lhokseumawe. PMI Secretary-General is in Medan to coordinate PMI in Aceh. (Jan 2, IFRC)

• A PMI/ICRC/IFRC assessment team is in Banda Aceh, Meulaboh and Lhokseumawe. Focus will be on west coast of Aceh between Tapaktuang and Meulaboh. (Jan 2, IFRC)

• 32 members of the National Special Disaster Response Team (Team KHUSUS) were dispatched to Meulaboh on Sunday (Jan 2) to help PMI personnel already deployed. (Jan 2, IFRC)

• The Indonesia Red Cross deployed over 800 trained workers to Aceh. (Jan 1, Jakarta Post)

International Response

Foreign Governments

· Singapore proposes that the WHO set up a site office in Singapore for its operations in the region. Singapore says also sent team of 6 doctors and 6 nurses to Banda Aceh. Singapore Armed Forces planning to build permanent jetty at Meulaboh to help facilitate aid delivery. (Jan-6, Channel News Asia)

· Advance team of Japan’s Self Defense Forces (SDF) began a survey of medical conditions in Banda Aceh. An additional 40 members as well as relief supplies headed towards region. Japan set to send more than 800 SDF members eventually. (Jan-6, Kyodo)

· Pakistan sent two C-130s and batch of troops carrying 2 tons of medicines to Banda Aceh. Troops will set up a 50-bed hospital in the area. (Jan-6, DPA)

· Australia will double commitment to around 900 personnel by the middle of next week. (Jan-6, ABC)

· Singapore has sent a helicopter air carrier that is scheduled to arrive on Thursday (January 6) and has offered assets to the UN. (Jan-5, UNJLC)

· Russia has sent a planeload of some 20 tons of aid for Aceh and North Sumatra, says Russia’s Emergencies Ministry. (Jan-5, Xinhua)

· European Commission (EC) contributions:

• Belgium has sent relief materials.
• Czech Republic has sent medical supplies and body bags.
• Germany and France have sent additional experts on site.
• France has sent a field hospital.
• Denmark is supplying a field hospital and relief team.
• Estonia has sent a medical team (thanks to transportation by the Netherlands).
• Norway has made two C-130 Hercules military transport planes available to the Norwegian Red Cross and UN in a logistics support operation.
• Through the International Humanitarian Partnership, transportation, accommodation and telecommunication assistance has been made available.
• Portugal will send medical supplies, a field hospital and a medical team in order to set up an epidemiological monitoring system. (Jan-5, European Commission)
• Military troops from the US, Australia, India, Malaysia, Germany and Singapore reportedly working to unload planes at Banda Aceh airport and then flying sorties to remote areas. (Jan-4, Reuters)

· The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group (includes four other ships and some 6,500 sailors and Marines) had arrived off Sumatra over the weekend (Saturday, January 1). However, as of Monday (January 3), it was reported that Jakarta is only allowing permission for US pilots to fly as far south as Meulaboh.

· Meanwhile, the USS Bonhomme Richard and two other warships carrying a Marine expeditionary unit of some 2,200 Marines arrived in the area to join in relief operations. The Bonhomme Richard has at least 29 heavy- and medium-lift helicopters, along with three landing craft with the capability to launch people or equipment ashore virtually any kind of beach. Force also has 60-plus strong medical staff that can man four operating rooms, with a ward capacity for 60 patients. US airlift operations are continuing to be flown out of Utapao, a base in Thailand from the Vietnam War era.

· Malaysia has opened up its airspace and two airports to UN and US relief operations. The UN’s World Food Program would use an airport in Sabang, located outside Kuala Lumpur, while the US has been permitted to use the Langkawi International Airport in the north to send aid to Aceh. Malaysia says it has also deployed aircraft and helicopters to help Indonesia transport supplies and victims from Aceh. Malaysia will also send a navy ship to Aceh this Wednesday (January 5).

• France sending helicopter carrier Jeanne d’Arc and the frigate George Leygues to provide medical aid in Aceh. (Jan 2, AFP)

· US Navy may establish a field hospital around core NAMRU-2 staff in Meulaboh on the west coast as relief efforts build up in devastated city. (Jan 1, AP)

United Nations

· Flights from UNHCR’s emergency airlift begin arriving in Jakarta. A cargo plane carrying some 100 tons of relief supplies arrived from UNHCR’s central warehouse in Copenhagen. (Jan-6, UNHCR)

· World Food Program (WFP) says it is mobilizing helicopters and hovercraft to overcome rough terrain. WFP says it is setting up a logistics center in Bangkok to coordinate food deliveries. (Jan-5, Reuters)

· UN Development Programme (UNDP) says it has begun to support national authorities in recovery planning. (Jan-5, UNDP)