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The Prime Minister Stanislav Gross has said that the Czech Republic should coordinate its aid to South Asia with the European Union. According to Mr Gross the current humanitarian aid stage will be followed by a renewal of the devastated areas in which the Czech Republic will take an active part. The government will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to discuss the forms of immediate relief the Czech Republic is providing to the areas as well as further steps it will take. The Prime Minister also said that the Czech Republic will join the rest of the European Union in a three-minute silence on January 5, in honour of the tens of thousands of victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami waves.

The former Czech President Vaclav Havel has spoken against a referendum on the European Union Constitution. Speaking in a televised debate on Sunday, Mr Havel said the EU Constitution Treaty was a comprehensive technical text hardly changing the European Union. Mr Havel said once Czech citizens said yes to EU membership, a public vote on the EU Constitution would be superfluous. Czech politicians have not yet decided on the way of ratifying the treaty but it is expected that a referendum will take place. The opposition right-of-centre Civic Democrats as well as President Klaus sharply criticise the EU Constitution.

The first Czech casualty of the Indian Ocean disaster has been confirmed. The victim was a young woman who had been holidaying in Thailand. The Foreign Ministry believes six other Czechs may also have died in Thailand and Sri Lanka in Sunday's catastrophe. A total of 45 Czechs remain unaccounted for, although officials expect most of them will be found once communications improve in disaster hit areas. Three Czechs are in hospital in Thailand with serious injuries, while two others are receiving treatment in Sri Lanka. Most of the Czechs still unaccounted for were holidaying in those countries. The government will hold an extraordinary meeting on the situation in South Asia on Tuesday, two days ahead of a European Council meeting in Brussels.

Czechs have raised over 14 million crowns (470,000 euros) in public collections called by aid organisations to help the disaster-stricken countries in South Asia. The state will donate another 5 million crowns on top of the 10 million already pledged for immediate humanitarian aid. A Czech Airforce plane landed in Indonesia on Friday with over nine tonnes of humanitarian aid. The plane was carrying water, medicines and water purifying tablets, as well as body bags. It is due to bring Czech tourists back from various countries in the region on Sunday.