Asia-Pacific countries on Thursday stepped up their relief efforts for the areas hit hard bythe massive earthquake and the tsunamis that followed last Sunday.     

China will dramatically increase its emergency assistance to the tsunami-hit countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Thursday.

China has already donated 21.63 million yuan (about US$2.615 million) worth of relief goods to the disaster-hit countries.

In response to the heavy casualties and property losses some south and southeast Asian countries have suffered, Chinese ForeignMinister Li Zhaoxing held an emergency meeting with other relevantgovernment departments Wednesday and decided to greatly increase the amount of aid.

Liu said China will send a 100-odd-member medical team to tsunami-ravaged Indonesia. Besides, and a 35-member rescue team headed by Zhao Heping, deputy director general of the State Seismological Bureau, will leave for Indonesia.

The Chinese Ministry of Health will organize many other expertsto fly to the disaster-hit regions Thursday, including 15 experts in epidemiology and infection who are leaving for Phuket via Bangkok. Twelve surgeons from south China's Guangdong Province will head for Thailand Friday. Five DNA experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences will help the Thai government for victims' identification, said Liu.

China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government willstage a fundraising activity to garner money for tsunamis victims.It has already received a total of 10 million HK dollars (US$1.28 million) in donation from different walks of life in Hong Kong.

Some 100 relief officials left Hong Kong for Phuket, Thailand, Thursday morning to expedite the search for missing Hong Kong residents as well as provide assistance to stranded Hong Kong residents in areas affected by Sunday's earthquake-powered tsunamis.

Altogether, the SAR government will be sending 120 officers to Phuket, comprising police, immigration and medical officers.

In South Korea, Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that Vice Foreign Minister Choi Young-jin will fly to Thailand's southern resort island of Phuket later in the day to head the South Korean anti-disaster office there.

The South Korean government decided to commit an additional US$3 million in emergency relief funds for the tsunami-hit countries. Previously, it had promised US$2 million donation.

South Korea will send a military cargo plane to Sri Lanka on Friday, carrying medical supplies and relief workers, Ban said.

Australia is to send a navy ship and helicopters to tsunami-hitIndonesia and has offered to set up a field hospital in Aceh area,Prime Minister John Howard said on Thursday.

An Antonov aircraft along with three Iriquoi helicopters will be sent to Aceh and more air crew will be sent to Sumatra, Indonesia, to ensure the around-the-clock operation of Australia'sfour Hercules aircraft already in that country, said Howard.

The aircraft, HMAS Kanimbla, will leave Sydney on Friday, carrying helicopters and engineers to help with relief efforts, hesaid.

"We will offer a light field hospital which has about 90 beds to the Indonesian Government for use in the affected area," he said.

Two medical teams are on their way to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, he said.

Howard said Australia's assistance may be increased further as the recovery and rehabilitation of the region would take some time.

Australia has offered a total of 35 million dollars (US$27 million) of relief aid to those Asian countries that were hit by the tsunami disaster last Sunday.

In New Zealand, a RNZAF 757 departed for Phuket, Thailand, Thursday afternoon. On board is a 10-member Disaster Victim Identification Team, comprising eight police personnel, a dentist and a pathologist.

The team will make a contribution to the international efforts to identify the bodies that have been recovered, including any potential New Zealand victims.

Also on board is an 11-strong Emergency Response Team comprising personnel from police, defense, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who will replace and strengthen the team of police and Embassy officials working in Phuket.

Japan will consider additional aid to areas in Asia devastated by Sunday's powerful quake off Indonesia's Sumatra Island and subsequent tsunamis, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura indicated Thursday.

He said additional aid to other Asian countries affected by thequake and tsunamis will be discussed next Tuesday at a meeting of relevant Cabinet ministers.

Japan has pledged US$30 million, or 3.1 billion yen, to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

The foreign minister said Japan supported US President George W.Bush's initiative involving Japan, Australia and India aimed at helping victims of the massive earthquake and tsunamis in Asia.

Machimura told reporters he expected the four countries to start the envisaged joint military operation to gather informationabout damage from the disaster and what the affected people need.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the government will raise its relief contribution from 2 million Singapore dollars (about US$1.2 million) to 5 million Singapore dollars (about US$3 million).

Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam urged schools and students to take part in the national efforts by raising funds andcollecting or packing relief items when the new semester begins next week.

So far, Singapore has deployed altogether 700 personnel, eight helicopters, a C-130 in the region as part of the international relief efforts and a landing ship tank with a team of engineers will depart for Indonesia on Friday.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai decided on Thursday that Vietnam will provide humanitarian aid for the four countries which were hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunamis.

Indonesia will be provided with US$150,000, and Thailand, India and Sri Lanka will be granted US$100,000 each, according to the report of Vietnam News Agency.

The prime minister ordered the Ministry of Public Health to prepare health workers and medicine and diarrhea vaccines to send to the calamity-stricken countries if requested.

The Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committeelaunched a campaign to raise money and goods for the tsunami victims on Thursday. They appealed to people in the country and overseas Vietnamese for contributions.

(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2004)