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The Support Team sent by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to Thailand to assist Hong Kong residents affected by the tsunami was working in full steam yesterday (December 31).

"After our arrival on December 30, we have set up help desks at the Bangkok airport, the Phuket airport and the Thailand Government coordination centre, which are all operating round the clock. We are manning three hotlines on a 24-hour basis," said Ms Linda So, the coordinator of the multi-disciplined Hong Kong team.

The team had established presence in six major hospitals on the Phuket Island and extended coverage to four other hospitals in further away areas. Currently there was no Hong Kong residents found hospitalised in Phuket. One was in stable condition in a hospital in Bangkok. Apart from looking for the injured in hospitals and providing assistance to Hong Kong family members coming to hospitals to look for their kins who were reported to have lost contacts, team members comprising police officers have inspected movement records of discharged Hong Kong residents so as to help tracking down their whereabouts through the Hong Kong Police Force's Major Incident Investigation and Disaster System. In Thailand, there were still 113 Hong Kong residents reported to be have lost contacts with their families.

"The Support Team will make best endeavours to help locate Hong Kong residents reported to have lost contacts with their families and those who require assistance in Thailand," said Ms So.

Ends/Saturday, January 1, 2005

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