FACTBOX-Military aid to tsunami-hit nations

FACTBOX-Military aid to tsunami-hit nations LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The following is a list of some of the military help pledged by governments to help the Indian Ocean nations hit by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, compiled by Reuters bureaux:

AUSTRALIA -- Australia has sent 350 soldiers to Indonesia along with four Iroquois helicopters. It has also set up a military field hospital in Aceh, sent four C-130 Hercules aircraft to Sumatra, and set up a water purification plant in Banda Aceh, producing 480,000 litres of clean water a day. -- Its troop supply ship HMAS Kanimbla is on its way to Aceh with an army engineering team of 150. The Australian Federal Police have also sent a 25-member forensic identification team to Phuket, Thailand. BANGLADESH: -- Bangladesh has dispatched 157 soldiers to Sri Lanka and Maldives. Two Bell-212 helicopters have started operations in affected areas and two C-130 aircraft have carried equipment and relief materials from Dhaka to Sri Lanka. BRITAIN: -- Britain has deployed two naval ships and a cargo plane. CHINA: -- The Chinese army (PLA) has airlifted nearly 500 tonnes of food, water, medicine and other relief supplies to tsunami victims, the China Daily said. The PLA is involved in relief operations in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. FRANCE: - Some 1,000 French troops have been deployed. - France is to send five more Puma helicopters and the frigate "Dupliex" next week to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. It has already dispatched the helicopter carrier "Jeanne d'Arc" and frigate "Georges-Leygues" from Djibouti. The vessels will carry medicines, water and food. GERMANY: -- Medical evacuation plane (35 personnel) now on third mission evacuating Germans from Thailand. A mobile hospital in Aceh. -- Supply ship "Berlin" with 150 crew heading to region from Horn of Africa, with aid supplies and water treatment equipment. INDIA: The Indian military has put 16,000 personnel into the biggest relief operation in its history: -- 32 navy ships carrying medical equipment, medicine, food, blankets and water to tsunami-hit areas. This includes two ships sent to Aceh, five to Sri Lanka, and three to the Maldives. -- At least 5,000 airmen and 41 aircraft are involved, including seven giant IL-76 transports, 16 helicopters, 15 AN-32 transport aircraft and three smaller Avro transports. More than 5,500 soldiers are involved in rescue efforts. A mobile hospital has been sent to Sri Lanka. ITALY: -- Six to eight carabinieri (paramilitary police) specialists in forensics to help identify bodies in Thailand. JAPAN: -- Japan sent a military transport plane with about 40 military personnel to Thailand, from where it will transport supplies and personnel mainly to Indonesia. -- A total of 800 personnel are expected to be involved in Japan's largest postwar overseas disaster relief operation. PAKISTAN: -- Pakistan plans to send 500 military personnel in medical and engineering teams to Indonesia and Sri Lanka. After an initial deployment by air, heavy equipment to be sent by ship. -- A field hospital comprising about 60 doctors and paramedics and a company of engineers will be sent to Indonesia. SPAIN: -- Spain plans to send 650 troops, five transport planes, 17 tonnes of medical supplies, food and drinking water to Indonesia on Monday. -- It will also send a mobile plant to purify drinking water as well as a naval hospital vessel. SWITZERLAND -- Three Super Puma military helicopters to deliver aid in Aceh. UNITED STATES: -- The U.S. military has about 16,500 personnel taking part in the relief effort. The figure includes 11,000 aboard 17 navy ships in the region, along with about 50 helicopters and about 40 cargo, reconnaissance and refuelling airplanes. -- The Pentagon says it is spending about $6 million a day on the relief effort, including the operation of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the helicopter carrier USS Bonhomme Richard and their groups of ships. -- The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy has set sail from San Diego, California, to provide medical services to survivors and will arrive in the region in about 30 days.

REUTERS

GetRTR 3.00 -- JAN 9, 2005 13:28:12