Singapore on Monday sent four more Chinook helicopters to Indonesia as part of its relief assistance to the neighboring country, which was hit hard by the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Defense, the move by Singapore came following a request made by the United Nations and Indonesian authorities for such equipment.

The ministry said that the need for heavy lift helicopters is especially critical at this stage as there is currently no such capability in the disaster area other than the two Chinook helicopters Singapore had earlier deployed.

The Singapore armed forces (SAF) is ready to deploy another twoto four Super Pumas helicopters to provide medium lift capabilities to augment the efforts in Sumatra if needed, the ministry said.

It added that the second helicopter landing ship, RSS Persistence, will head for Sumatra on Tuesday and will function asan autonomous helicopter staging platform to enhance the SAF's ability to assist in relief efforts in the Meulaboh area, which isseen by Indonesia as an area of particularly critical need.

The first helicopter landing ship, RSS Endurance, has arrived off Meulaboh with a medical team in an effort to set up a field hospital there.

Singapore's Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean on Tuesday will fly to Indonesia's Medan to meet his Indonesian counterparts to find out if the island state can do more for the neighboring country.

Currently, about 800 Singaporeans are doing their part in tsunami-hit areas like Indonesia's Aceh and Thailand's Phuket.

In Singapore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Monday that nine Singaporeans died, 12 others were missing and 45 uncontactable after last month's tsunami disaster.