US Democratic Representative Frank Pallone on Thursday announced his plan to join Democratic Senator Jon Corzine and Republican Representative Christopher Smith to India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, which were affected by the tragic tsunami disaster.
The New Jersey Congressman is scheduled to leave Saturday and will return January 13. Pallone will post a travel diary, called a web log or "blog," on his congressional website (www.House.Gov/pallone) that will be updated daily during the visit.
"The devastation in South Asia is so great that it's truly difficult to comprehend the scope of the damage and identify the greatest needs of the region in order to expedite relief efforts," Pallone, founder co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India said.
"This fact finding mission will allow me and my colleagues to see how the US can best help the victims of this tragedy.
"I want to hear directly from the people on the ground the pitfalls they currently face and how they can be overcome as soon as possible," Pallone continued.