WASHINGTON, Jan 2 (AFP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell departed Washington for Asia Sunday, leading a US delegation which will survey the devastation from last week's tsunamis, which relief officials said killed more than 150,000 people.
"I will be going to Thailand, initially Bangkok, then Phuket, where a lot of life was lost. And then down to Jakarta, Indonesia, then out to Aceh, which is the place where we have seen the greatest loss of life," Powell told NBC television Sunday, shortly before his departure.
"I'll also be participating in an international conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the 6th of January with Kofi Annan and a number of other leaders. And then I also hope to be able to get to Sri Lanka on the way out."
Accompanying Powell on the trip is the brother of US President George W. Bush, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who regularly is called upon to manage disaster relief efforts in his hurricane-prone home state.
The group is to travel to Thailand, Indonesia, and other tsunami-devasted areas to assess the recovery needs of the unprecedented disaster, and also aims to raise the US profile in the global relief effort.
Powell and Bush will get a first-hand look at the week-old recovery operation, amid concerns that badly needed relief supplies were not getting through because of logistical problems.
The chief US diplomat's trip comes amid persistent criticism by the US media that the Bush administration was slow to respond to a crisis many Asians view as their own September 11.
Officials here have bristled, however, at the idea Washington was being stingy in aiding a dozen battered countries across the Indian Ocean.
Bush late last week announced Friday a 10-fold increase in the US government's aid pledge, from 35 million dollars to 350 million dollars.
Powell has signaled more US help could be coming as relief assessment teams on the ground probed the magnitude of the tragedy.
"I'm not sure 350 (million) is the end number. It's the number that we've settled on for now," he told reporters in New York on Friday after meeting with Annan at the United Nations.
At the same time, the Pentagon has launched what it called one of its biggest relief operations, mobilizing two carrier groups, 20 patrol and supply aircraft, helicopters and thousands of personnel.
The US administration went on a public-relations offensive after newspapers suggested it had squandered an early chance to pile up political capital in tsunami-stricken areas, including Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.
And leading members of Congress weighed in on the controversy Sunday, with some saying that the initial reaction by the United States was wanting in the first few days after the tsunami struck.
"I think now we appear to be on the right track," said US Senator Carl Levin, a Democrat.
"But the first few days were disappointing, and not in keeping with the great American tradition and generosity, either in the size of that first announcement, or the speed with which it was given. I thought the first few days of silence from the president was not in keeping with that tradition," he said.
Top US newspapers also urged Washington to do much more, saying the United States could improve its standing in the world and combat terrorism by offering far-reaching aid.
The Los Angeles Times said Bush should personally travel to the region in coming weeks in "a respectful visit to national capitals to express our nation's condolences and to ask how the president could help."
It urged Washington to commit billions of dollars to the region for long-term programs like water purification and improved sanitation systems.
The Washington Post likewise called the tragedy "an opportunity to earn desperately needed goodwill by responding aggressively and generously," especially in hardest-hit Indonesia, a key Muslim nation.
Bush waited until three days after the December 26 disaster to make his first public appearance, but has since kept a prominent profile on the crisis. Powell, due to step down in the coming weeks, has given a non-stop run of press interviews.

01/02/2005 20:22 GMT - AFP