Survivors of the tsunami in Malaysia will have to wait for aid until the government undertakes a full evaluation of losses, which could take "more than two to three weeks", according to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

He said the exercise would determine disbursement of disaster-relief funds now being collected by various parties, so that aid can be distributed fairly and to the right people.

Najib said he was aware that many have questioned why the money collected has yet to be handed over to the victims.

"There is some perception on the ground that there is a lot of money coming in, but there is a delay, (with people wondering) why we are not distributing it and so on," he was quoted by Bernama as saying in Kuala Lumpur today.

"The money will be distributed, but we have to do a proper evaluation of the losses."

Hundreds of irate victims of the Dec 26 tragedy had besieged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last Thursday, demanding quick aid during his visit to Tanjung Tokong in Penang, one of the states badly hit by the tsunami.

The villagers complained that nothing had been done to alleviate their suffering, to which a stunned Abdullah replied "We'll do it quickly."

However, Najib said a proper evaluation may take more than two to three weeks as the quantum of losses would differ from one family to another.

"For example, there are those whose houses have been completely ruined, while others only had mud coming into theirs. So, it won't be fair if we distribute the same amount of aid to families with differing losses," he said.

Other assistance

Financial assistance to be doled out from the National Disaster Fund constitutes the third tranche of aid to be given out to the tsunami victims.

In the first round, evacuated families received RM500 while the second round - where victims are to receive between RM2,000 and RM5,000 for damaged houses and between RM1,000 and RM3,000 for damaged boats - will begin this week.

Najib said he would discuss other relevant forms of assistance that can be extended to fishermen whose livelihoods have been affected since the deadly waves unleashed by an earthquake off Sumatra on Dec 26. About 155,000 people have died to date.

Najib also stressed that the fund is meant for Malaysian victims and that any contribution to victims in other countries would come under a different exercise.

On a suggestion that special passes be issued to the victims to prevent impostors from cashing in, he said it was up to officials at the district level to decide on this.

He added that the cabinet will discuss on Wednesday as to when the fund collection among Malaysians should end because "we don't want to kill off the enthusiasm (to donate)".

On whether there is a need to send National Service trainees to help out in relief operations in affected states, Najib said the current number of volunteers is more than sufficient.

He also said the government is sending lecturers and psychology students to the affected areas to offer counselling to victims.

The toll in Malaysia has risen to 68 deaths, while 299 people have sustained injuries.