US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI38

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000038 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
USDA/FAS/FAA/CALEXANDER/MCONLON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, CASC, AEMR, EAID, MASS, SOCI, EAGR, ID, CE, MV, IN, Tsunami Relief 
SUBJECT: INDIA TSUNAMI SITREP JANUARY 3 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 33 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary: India-wide, consular officers have amassed 
a database of 500 missing persons inquiries to which they are 
responding, but still have no reported Amcit casualties in 
India.  Mission engagement with the GOI on tsunami relief for 
India and the region continued with the Ambassador's January 
3 meeting with Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and USAID's 
allocation of USD 3.1 million in relief.  The Ambassador will 
meet with local media on January 4 to highlight USG disaster 
assistance efforts and our partnership in the Core Group. 
The GOI has increased its aid to neighbors with two ships 
scheduled to arrive in Aceh, even as its own casualty figures 
climb.  End Summary. 
 
Consular Outreach 
----------------- 
 
2.  (U) There are still no reported Amcit casualties in 
India, but consular officers are processing about 500 
inquiries on people who are possibly missing.  Consular New 
Delhi has been coordinating the response India-wide, 
referring calls to ConGen Chennai or ConGen Calcutta as 
necessary.  The Mission has created a database of Task Force 
calls as well as emails to ensure that each inquiry receives 
a response daily.  Consular New Delhi has an officer each in 
Thailand and Colombo supporting those missions' operations. 
 
US Assistance for India 
----------------------- 
 
3.  (U) Through January 3, USAID India has provided more than 
USD 1.5 million in assistance to India.  This includes: 
 
--USD 50,000 for the Prime Minister's Relief Fund to be spent 
at the GOI's discretion; 
--USD 50,000 to the Indian Red Cross for non-food and 
non-medical emergency relief; 
--USD 650,000 to CARE India for clean water and sanitation 
services; and 
--USD 750,000 to Catholic Relief Services for clean water and 
sanitation services. 
 
An additional USD 1.6 million will soon be programmed 
following the approval of proposals.  As of January 2, 3 DART 
members have been dispatched to India. 
 
Ambassador Meets Foreign Secretary Saran 
---------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) In a January 3 meeting with the Ambassador, Foreign 
Secretary Shyam Saran indicated that the PM had directed all 
 
SIPDIS 
VIPs to avoid the tsunami-affected regions, and suggested 
that visiting US Codels receive an Indian 
military/interagency briefing on Indian relief activities in 
New Delhi, rather than travel into Southern India.  Saran 
noted that to support a VIP visit, the local bureaucracy has 
to shift its focus from relief activities, and that even VIP 
overflights would be disruptive to the Indian military's 
intense operational activities.  While local media reported 
alleged Indian "anger" over Colombo's decision to accept US 
troops without consulting New Delhi, Saran expressed 
appreciation for the January 3 briefing on relief in the 
region that DAO provided to Indian defense staff.  (Reftel 
provides fuller details.) 
 
Indian Casualties 
----------------- 
 
5.  (SBU) The Ministry of Home Affairs reported that through 
January 2, 9,451 Indians had died while 5,511 were missing, 
compared to 8,955 and 3,754, respectively, 24 hours earlier. 
USAID India believes these figures are low, for example, 
ConGen Calcutta's economics specialist has estimated six to 
seven thousand are missing in the hard hit Andaman and 
Nicobar Islands alone. 
 
Relief for the Neighbors 
------------------------ 
6.  (U) On January 3, Ministry of Defense officials briefed 
DAO on India's relief operations for Sri Lanka, Maldives and 
Indonesia.  The GOI expects the survey ship Nirupak, which 
has been outfitted as a 46 bed hospital, and the stealth 
frigate Khukri to arrive in Aceh early on January 4.  The 
Indian Navy now has three ships in the Maldives with the 
addition of the INS Sagar, and four ships and some 1,200 men 
in Sri Lanka. 
 
Upcoming: Ambassador's Press Conference 
--------------------------------------- 
 
7.  (U)  On the afternoon of January 4, the Ambassador will 
meet with Indian foreign affairs correspondents to discuss 
the tsunami, its aftermath, and what the USG is doing to 
assist the affected nations. 
MULFORD