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The US and six other European nations have urged Thailand to probe an alleged misuse of donations to a fund identifying victims of the 2004 tsunami, a newspaper reported and officials confirmed yesterday.

 

The Nation newspaper quoted an unnamed diplomat as saying more than half of the 60 million baht (US$1.7 million) given by Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and the US, were wasted and disguised as other costs.

 

"To be frank, someone has stolen our citizens' money," the daily quoted the diplomatic source as saying.

 

The money was contributed to finance what has been called the world's biggest forensic investigation, in which Thai and foreign experts worked together to identify almost 6,000 people killed two years ago in the tsunami, which left nearly 3,000 missing.

 

The Thai police took over the identification process in January after most international experts ended their role.

 

The Nation's website, www.nationmultimedia.com, also ran a letter co-signed by seven top envoys requesting national police chief General Kowit Wattana to hire a private accountancy firm to audit the use of the funds, which would be paid by Washington.

 

"We are sure you would agree that any such misuse would be an especially sensitive and distressing matter for us all, given the generous-spirited and cooperative nature," of the disaster victim identification operation, said the letter dated November 22.

 

US and Thai officials confirmed the content of the letter, but national police spokesman General Ajiravid Subarnbhesaj said the misuse of the money was a misunderstanding by some diplomats and the Royal Thai Police welcomed an independent audit.

 

But General Kowit told reporters yesterday he would appoint one of his deputies to lead a police panel, which would probe the use of the funds over the past two years. "Everything must be transparent," he said.

 

Thailand's official death toll in the Indian Ocean disaster is 5,395, half of them foreign tourists.

 

(China Daily December 26, 2006)