U.S. Marines come ashore on Sumatra island<\/p>\n
Agencies, Meulaboh, Aceh<\/p>\n
Marines zoomed ashore on a high-tech hovercraft carrying tons of
\nfood, water and a forklift to help repair this tsunami-wrecked
\ntown in Indonesia. In Sri Lanka, they splashed ashore with a
\nbulldozer to repair roads and bridges.<\/p>\n
After days of delays, the Marines landed on Monday on either
\nside of the disaster zone - the latest branch of the U.S.
\nmilitary to join its biggest peacetime humanitarian mission.<\/p>\n
They arrived in the two areas hardest hit by the Dec. 26
\nearthquake-tsunami disaster, which are also regions wracked by
\ndecades-old civil conflicts that have complicated the U.S.
\nmilitary deployment.<\/p>\n
The landing in Indonesia came after several days of intense
\nnegotiations between the Marines and the local military, and was
\nconducted on a much smaller scale than originally planned - only
\nabout 10 Marines were aboard, most of them crew.<\/p>\n
\"We're hoping that they will see that this went well, and ask
\nus to come again,\" said Capt. Michelle Howard, commander of the
\nNavy strike force that brought the Marines from the USS Bonhomme
\nRichard.<\/p>\n
Nearly 2,000 Marines are now afloat off the Meulaboh coastline
\nin two amphibious assault ships diverted from duty in Iraq. The
\nships carry two dozen helicopters, heavy equipment such as
\nbulldozers and forklifts, and tons of food.<\/p>\n
In Sydney, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said
\non Tuesday that Australian troops will not be armed while helping
\nwith tsunami relief in neighboring Indonesia's devastated Aceh,
\nbecause that might put them at greater risk of being shot.<\/p>\n
Downer said he was satisfied that Indonesia's military was
\nadequately protecting Australian troops and aid workers.<\/p>\n
\"If we take a different view that we want to send in a brigade
\nor we want to arm all our troops there, then that is going to
\ncreate a great deal of ill feeling and hostility and I think make
\nit more likely, not less likely, that somebody could shoot at our
\ntroops,\" Downer told Sydney radio station 2UE.<\/p>\n
A Spanish Casa-235 jet left Getafe military airport outside
\nMadrid on Monday bound for Indonesia carrying aid for victims of
\nthe Asian tsunami disaster with four more to follow, an AFP
\nphotographer on the scene said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Russia said on Tuesday it was dispatching
\nadditional mobile field hospitals and several teams of anti-
\nepidemic doctors to Asian countries reeling from the effects of
\ntsunamis that hit the Indian Ocean region last month.<\/p>\n
Two giant Ilyushin-76 transport planes will deliver mobile
\nhospital equipment and a 50-strong team of health ministry
\nphysicians specializing in containment of epidemic diseases to
\nThailand on Friday, RIA Novosti news agency said, quoting a
\nspokesman for the ministry of emergency situations.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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