Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said after his talks with Powell Tuesday that Thailand would welcome US technical assistance to build an early warning system to guard against tsunamis.

    "Thailand is ready to be the center for the regional warning center and if there is no agreement (at the Jakarta summit) we are ready to set up our own," Surakiart said.

    India has installed new computer equipment to monitor ocean movement while Indonesia also called in its scientists to start work on an alert mechanism.

    Given the high profile of the participants, especially some key terrorist targets like US, British and Australian officials, the Indonesian hosts of the summit have prepared to do everything possible to ensure the security of the event. Jakarta's police chief said two-thirds of Jakarta's police force will be deployed to protect the attendants.

    The death toll from the catastrophe has neared 140,000, with 52countries reporting nationals dead or injured. Indonesia alone witnessed over 94,000 deaths, Sri Lanka over 30,000 and India close to 10,000. The United Nations estimates the total number of dead will exceed 150,000.

    Massive tsunamis smashed coastlines and wiped off villages after a magnitude 8.7 deep-sea earthquake occurred off Indonesia's coast on Dec. 26. It is estimated that more than 1.8 million people need food aid and 5 million others are homeless in the tsunami-hit regions.

    The carnage shocked the international community and aids and donations continue to pour in every day. More than 40 countries and international organizations pledged donations or sent rescue teams to the disaster areas. The donations has topped 2 billion US dollars, surpassing the total humanitarian aid the United Nations received in 2004.

    But rescue work has been hampered by poor communication and transport conditions as most of the worst-hit areas are underdeveloped regions lacking basic infrastructure and facilities. The relief efforts are far from glitch-free, the worst incident being a cargo plane accident Tuesday which caused the close-down of the airstrip at Banda Aceh, the main hub for Indonesian relief shipments. Enditem