Survivors, relatives and emergency experts in the Nordic countries like Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, have blasted their governments in recent days for falling to respond immediately to the needs of their nationals caught in the tidal waves that struck Indian Ocean coastlines at the weekend.

The vitriol is harshest in Sweden. Swedish media has revealed that after being informed of the tidal waves on Sunday, Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds attended a theatre performance in the evening and did not show up at her office until Monday morning. This while 20,000 to 30,000 Swedish tourists were known to be holidaying in the tsu-

nami-hit region.

In the past five days, her ministry has received thousands of emails expressing rage and frustration. Excerpts read: "Resign", "I'm ashamed of being Swedish", and "Even in times of war we help the victims more rapidly and better than what the ministry has displayed in times ofpeace".

An online survey of tabloid Expressen's readers on Friday showed that 76 percent of Swedes want Freivalds to resign.

Meanwhile, dozens of relatives are so dissatisfied with the help being offered by the Swedish government that they have taken it upon themselves to travel to Thailand to try to locate their loved ones.

The government in Norway, where at least 21 are confirmed dead, has also come underfire.

According to paper of record Aftenposten, relatives of Norwegian holiday-makers telephoned the foreign ministry dozens of times in the hours following the catastrophe butgotnoanswer.

One Danish survivor living in Phuket, Simon Borre Hanse, meanwhile told local news agency Ritzau that the Danish embassy refused to help himbecause he didn'thave any travel insurance.

In Finland, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has faced similar criticisms but has defended his government's actions, saying that it reacted quickly and in concert with other parties.