Two weeks after a quake-triggered tidal wave washed away many parts of Aceh province, the Indonesian government claimed a steady improvement in the condition of survivors and cities affected by the tsunamis.

In the first coordination meeting between government agencies involved in relief efforts in tsunami-hit regions held Sunday, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab said that a substantial number of bodies had been retrieved and properly buried, while distribution of food, medicines and other basic needs had reached most parts of tsunami-hit regions, The Jakarta Post newspaper reported Monday.  

Alwi said that some 48,000 bodies had been buried while another 20,000 people who are presumed dead have not yet been recovered from underneath piled up debris. He said that about 48,000 people were still missing since the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster.

"Our estimate is close to that of the United Nations, which puts the death toll at between 79,000 and 120,000," Alwi said.

Alwi said that although aid had been distributed to most parts of the affected areas, logjams still prevailed especially at HalimPerdana Kusumah Airport in Jakarta, Polonia Airport in Medan and Hang Nadim Airport in Batam.

"There was an aircraft carrying aid from Belgium bound for Medan, but it had to go back to the country as the airport in Medan was crowded with commercial and military aircraft carrying aid," said Alwi.

Responding to the situation, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who chaired the meeting said that he had secured permission from Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to use Malaysian airports as transitory bases for foreign aircraft carrying aid.

Alwi said that, to provide survivors with temporary housing, the government had started the construction of shelters that could accommodate between 8,000 and 20,000 people, and provide with better security measures and sanitation as well as better accessibility to aid workers.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2005)