The United States had sent around 14,000 troops to the tsunami-hit Indonesian province of Aceh for relief mission but most of them stayed at the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Bonhomme Richard mother ships, an envoy said in Jakarta Thursday (Jan. 13).

US Ambassador to Indonesia Lynn Pascoe was quoted by Detikcom online news service as saying that only up to 300 troops were sent to the ground everyday for relief works.

Pascoe asserted that the US military had arrived in Aceh at there quest of the Indonesian government and would leave the province if asked by Jakarta.

He said his government had handed 31 million US dollars in financial aid to Indonesia and had collected 6 million dollars from the US army, 35 million from President George W. Bush and 3 million from the International Red Cross.

Editor: Olivia