Ready to help, but no one asked

I am interested to know why your country did not ask for help with rescuing village people trapped in the aftermath of the recent earthquake on the island of Nias.

I am a member of New Zealand's Specialized Urban Search And Rescue task force, and we were saddened to watch international media reports of people pleading for help days after the earthquake.

Our country, as loyal neighbors of Indonesia, would have been proud to help our friends. We have millions of dollars worth of specialized searching gear available to help but we were never asked. Why is this so?

KEITH NORTON, Christchurch, New Zealand