Ambaean chiefs have criticised the move saying it should have been done before their people started returning to the island when a state of emergency was lifted on November 26.
According to the Daily Post Newspaper over 700 Ambeans have already returned to the island, mostly to the northern and eastern parts.
The chiefs insist that sending the assessment team to now defeats the purpose of the exercise since scores of the inhabitants of Ambae have already returned from nearby Maewo.
