Cash aid of 20,000 ringgit (5,263 US dollars) will be given to the next-of-kin of each of those killed in the tsunami disaster that hit several states in the northwest of the Malaysia peninsula last month.

The decision was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Monday after the meeting of the National Disaster Management and Relief Committee chaired by him.

"We agreed to give 20,000 ringgit (5,263 US dollars) for each victim killed in the tragedy. If in a family, three or five members perished, for example, the amount is multiplied accordingly," he said.

The money would be credited into Bank Simpanan Nasional accounts, he told reporters after the meeting.

The families of the 68 Malaysians killed on Dec. 26 last year when the disaster struck will begin receiving the money when Najibvisits them in Kota Kuala Muda in Kedah State later Monday.

The tsunami, triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off Sumatra on Dec. 26, has claimed more than 155,000 lives so far in the affected Asian countries.

Najib said the committee also decided that 206 fish breeders and 102 farmers, especially paddy planters, affected were eligible to receive aid of 500 ringgit (131 US dollars) each.

"The committee also agreed to compensate the fish breeders 530,000 ringgit (139,473 US dollars) for their losses as assessed by the Fisheries Department," he said.

He said the Welfare Department and the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry had promised to expedite the appraisal of the victims' losses.

"As soon as the final estimates are done, the committee will sit again to decide the final amount to be given based on aid contributions given by caring Malaysians, which continue to rise,"he said.

"The government will decide on the method and principle to be used for channeling the final amount," he said.

In addition to Monday's announcement of cash aid, the Malaysian government has so far disbursed two rounds of aid totaling 7.7 million ringgit (2.02 million US dollars) for tsunami victims. Thedisbursement of the first round of aid of 1,000 ringgit (263 US dollars) for each death and 500 ringgit (131 US dollars) for each family evacuated is almost completed.

The second-round payment of between 2,000 ringgit (526 US dollars) and 5,000 ringgit (1,315 US dollars) for damaged or destroyed homes and 1,000 ringgit (263 US dollars)-3,000 ringgit (789 US dollars) for damaged or destroyed fishing boats is being made to victims.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2005)