SINGAPORE, Dec. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- Singapore Friday opened up its air and naval bases to countries that want to send relief supplies into Indonesia, which is severely hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami on December 26 this year.

    Announcing this at a press briefing on Friday, Singapore's Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean said that the island state's decision came after airport facilities at Banda Aceh and Medan were currently overstretched, and countries wishing to send their relief supplies could drop off the supplies in Singapore before they are shipped on for distribution in the neighboring country.

    Singapore would keep in touch with representatives of the foreign countries that want to use the facilities here to coordinate the shipment of the relief supplies, he added.

    Singapore, which has joint hands with the international community in assisting affected countries, also sent on Friday a landing ship tank with nearly 500 people for West Sumatra to help out with the relief efforts there.

    A group of doctors and nurses are also traveling on board to provide health care services to affected Indonesians in the disaster areas.

    Meanwhile, Singapore's Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng said on Friday that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) contingents deployed in disaster-hit countries were part of Singapore's humanitarian assistance. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is also granting assistance to foreign travelers without valid travel documents and who have come to Singapore for medical treatment.

    Currently, several Singaporeans died in the tsunami-hit areas and more than 200 others are still missing or unable to contact. The death toll of Singaporeans may go up in the coming days.

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