The Indonesian armed forces (TNI) continued to reinforce its capacity in tsunami-hit Aceh province, deploying additional personnel and transportation to accelerate relief efforts, local media reported on Friday.

The TNI has deployed six planes and three helicopters. In addition, the United States was deploying 12 helicopters to the province, while Singapore and Malaysia sent one each, the spokesman for TNI disaster mitigation operation Colonel Ahmad Yanisaid.

"All helicopters are always on stand-by at Sultan Iskandar Mudaairport in Banda Aceh (the capital Aceh province), while the planes make trips to and from Jakarta, Medan and Aceh," Yani said who was quoted by the Jakarta Post daily.

The planes were used to transport aid from Jakarta and Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province to Aceh province, and the helicopters distributed the aid to remote areas which have with limited access to land transportation, he said.

"The TNI has deployed 600 more troops in addition to the 25,000 already there for the security operation," Yani said.

He said that foreign teams including 93 Malaysian personnel, 21 Singaporean personnel, 14 South African search and rescue personnel and 23 US personnel were currently in Aceh province.

The spokesman said that main obstacle the TNI relief teams had met with was the separatist Free Aceh Movement, whose members often disguised themselves as refugees to enter the camps.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2005)