Japan to send ground, maritime, air forces to Thailand for relief

[kskiska]

TOKYO — Japan is planning to send ground, maritime and air self-defense force teams to Thailand to help in tsunami disaster relief efforts in cooperation with U.S. forces, government sources said Sunday.

Under the mission, the Defense Agency envisions sending destroyers and other vessels of the Maritime Self-Defense Force and C-130 transport planes of the Air Self-Defense Force, as well as a Ground Self-Defense Force contingent, they said.

The teams are to be based at the Utapao base in Thailand, which has been used by the U.S. forces as a base for their relief operations, the sources said.

The Japanese troops will discuss with U.S. forces the roles they would play, but they are likely to include search and rescue operations and the transportation of relief goods, they said.

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http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=323721

[Borgnine]

1. I'm sure we could send more help...

...if they weren't all being used to kill in Iraq.