08 January 2005	Saturday	26 Ziqa'ad 1425

BANDA ACEH, Jan 7: A vanguard squad of US Marines landed in Indonesia's tsunami-hit Aceh province on Friday to prepare for a major deployment to reinforce a huge US military relief operation in the region.

A CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter from the USS Bonhomme Richard landed at the airport in the devastated city of Banda Aceh, now the hub of humanitarian operations, and unloaded about 15 Marines and a small group of US Navy sailors.

"We only brought in a small party of Marines at the moment to help out with the organization of logistical flow," Gunnery Sergeant Robert Knoll, of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said.

He said the Bonhomme Richard, equipped with two landing vessels including hovercraft, and USS Duluth were already off the Aceh coast between Banda Aceh and the almost totally destroyed west Aceh port of Meulaboh and positioned to provide help to both centres.

Knoll said a team would be performing an assessment in Meulaboh to determine what needed to be done. "We're still kind of in the assessment phase," he said. The Marines, one of many international military and civilian relief groups operating here, are working with the Indonesian government and US embassy to determine where they are most needed, Knoll said.

He could not say exactly when the medium-lift CH-53s and giant CH-46 Sea Knights could begin airlifting relief to the needy. Close to 100,000 people in the Aceh region died in the December 26 catastrophe.

Marines have brought desalination equipment, forklifts and other equipment that could be used ashore, as well as aid they loaded in Medan, Knoll said. The Sea Stallion can carry more than 14,000 pounds of cargo.

The ships belong to Expeditionary Strike Group 5 based in San Diego, California. A third ship, the USS Rushmore, is also heading toward Aceh, Knoll said. About 2,200 Marines are in the contingent.

The United States, which initially spearheaded multinational relief operations to disaster-affected countries, on Thursday said it was willing to work under guidance from the UN. UN officials have criticised the US military in Indonesia for failing to coordinate with other humanitarian aid efforts.