Minister comment, DNA experts, US aid

(31 Dec 2004) 1. Concrete and other debris on side of Patong beach 2. Various of workers cleaning up debris 3. Wide shot of news conference 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bhokin Balakula, Thai Interior Minister: "We think this operation will continue for at least another, well at least one week. (That''s) what I intend to do, just to be very sure that everything is done properly." 5. Reporters 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Doctor Narongsak Aungkaswapala, Deputy Prominent Secretary at Ministry of Public Health: "So I have asked the technician to put (give) the instruction to relatives to show up with the evidence of a victims'' belongings in order to match - or even their relatives. We may have to take the sample from this relative by taking some hair or mouth swab or something like this." 7. Reporters 8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bhokin Balakula, Thai Interior Minister: "Yesterday I visited many places, there are so many Thais, their relatives dying. One family, maybe just only one left or two left and they are homeless, so many. That''s why we have to provide houses for them to provide food and facilities for at least six months because they have nothing at all. No home, no boats, no way of doing, earning." 9. Reporters leave news conference 10. Various of Chinese doctors arriving at airport 11. Various of medical equipment arriving with doctors 12. Doctors getting on bus 13. Five person Chinese DNA expert delegation unrolling Chinese flag 14 Various of DNA team at airport 15. US Plane on tarmac 16. Various boxes being unloaded from plane STORYLINE: Teams of forensic experts arrived in Thailand on Friday and began packing bodies in dry ice as Thailand''s government announced its death toll in the tsunami disaster had doubled to more than 4,500 people. Hopes were fading that any survivors would be found. The Interior Ministry on Friday put the official death toll at 4,541 dead, a twofold increase from the previous day. That figure included 2,230 foreigners. Another 6,479 were missing, the Interior Ministry said. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has warned that Thailand''s death toll could approach 7,000. Most of the dead were in Phuket and the surrounding coastal areas, where many of the bodies are still to be identified. A team of DNA sampling experts arrived from China on Friday morning to help with the effort to identify all the victims. Team leader Feng Yia-Kung said they would take samples from bodies and send them back to Beijing for analysis. They were met by Chinese Consul general Hua Din-Zhou who said they were helping Chinese tourists caught up in the disaster to get home. Aid from the United States also arrived on Friday morning, including drinking water and blankets. Keywords - Indian ocean earthquake tsunami Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...