The Indonesian Military Commander General Endriartono Sutarto said on Thursday that the Indonesian armed forces (TNI) had increased troops to tsunami-hit Aceh province to 45,000 to conduct humanitarian and security operations.

"Before the tsunami, the TNI personnel was 39,000, now nearly 45,000. Two-third of them involve in the humanitarian operation and one-third to protect the operation," Sutarto said during the coordination meeting between the Indonesian government and lawmakers at the Parliament building.

The separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is still a threat in the rebellious Aceh province.

He said that the TNI would also send 1,000 military students to the province, to give assistance to the refugees.

The general said that currently the TNI were repairing land transport from the worst-hit Meulaboh district in Aceh province to Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province.

Regarding the settlement of more than a half million refugees, spread in many camps in the province, he said that they must be relocated into one place that can be easily reached through the land transport, otherwise Indonesia's dependency on the foreign military would continue.

"That is the main pre-requisite that must be completed," Suratarto said.

More foreign helicopters have been used for transporting aids to survivors, as Indonesia lacks the equipment, he said.

The general said that the Indonesian government plans to relocate the refugees in a semi-permanent place for one to two years, before permanently building the leveled areas.

The Indonesian government has asked foreign troops to leave the province no later than March 26 this year.

(Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2005)