Goff arrives in Phuket

PHUKET - Foreign minister Phil Goff has arrived in Thailand to liaise with New Zealand forensic teams working in the region in the aftermath of last week's tsunami and to determine how help can best be administered before tomorrow's summit in Jakarta.

New Zealand's disaster victim indentification (DVI) and emergency response teams have been at work in Thailand since Saturday, identifying and working with people affected by disaster.

Besides the two New Zealanders already confirmed dead in Thailand, Mr Goff said that another four were "likely deceased".

He added that there was a wider group of 64 unaccounted for, of which a sub-group of seven warranted intensive investigation to determine whether they were in the area at the time of the tsunami.

During his visit, Mr Goff will visit the main morgue site in Phang Nga and a devastated village to determine the degree to which help is being provided to alleviate suffering.

"There is a real need to help the villagers and the ordinary Thai people who have been so badly affected," he said.

"(It is) an indication of our awareness that ordinary Thai people have been devastated by the tsunami and not simply tourists."

New Zealand would also be advising Thailand on environmental rehabilitation once the immediate disaster relief work had been completed.

"New Zealand has expertise in the rehabilitation of shorelines, natural environments and sustainable development, and if that's an area in which we can help, that's certainly an area that I would like to see us make a contribution."

The New Zealand Government has so far promised aid of $10 million to the stricken region, not including "the cost of the military supplies and the military defence medical team", Mt Goff said.

He said the summit would enable participating countries to better coordinate "so that work is carried out in the most effective way".

"Given the sheer scale of countries over which aid is being delivered, it's really important that we have such a summit and of course that the secretary general of the United Nations -- Kofi Annan -- will be attending because ultimately it's the UN task to coordinate what needs to be done."

- NZPA