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The Under Secretary for Security, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, said today (January 31), the Government has been closely monitoring the development in Egypt. Working closely with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong, the Chinese Embassy in Egypt (the Embassy) and the tourism industry, the Government aims to assist Hong Kong residents in Egypt to return to Hong Kong as soon as possible.
In a media session held this afternoon, Mr Lai said, "According to information provided by the industry, there are currently 11 tour groups (about 270 persons) in Egypt. Among them, two groups (about 40 persons) are in Cairo, one (about 20 persons) on the way from Hurghada to Cairo, eight (about 210 persons) in Luxor. All group members are safe."
Mr Lai said, "The Mainland Authorities have arranged two additional special flights, which departed around noon today from Beijing, to bring back stranded Chinese nationals. Having liaised with the Embassy, the Government will facilitate Hong Kong residents in Egypt, be they group tour members or individual visitors, to register with the Embassy for boarding these additional special flights to leave, if they so wish."
On the other hand, he mentioned that a tour group on the way from Hurghada will leave Cairo by scheduled flight as planned tomorrow (February 1) and is expected to arrive in Hong Kong on the day after (February 2).
He said, "For the tour groups in Luxor, the Government has been advised by the Embassy and Egypt Consulate General in Hong Kong that the situation in Luxor is generally safe. The tour group members are continuing with their itineraries. The Government is working closely with the Embassy on a suitable and safe arrangement for their departure from Egypt as soon as possible.
"Our plan is to fly them to Cairo for transfer out of Egypt through additional flights. The detailed arrangements involve many issues, including aviation rights and operation of the Cairo International Airport under curfew, etc. We will closely liaise with the tourism industry and make public the arrangements once they are finalised."
From January 29 to afternoon today, the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department (the Unit) has received around 150 enquiries, mainly in relation to the content of the outbound travel alert, flight information and local situation, etc.
The Unit also received 23 assistance requests. The assistance seekers are all safe. Sixteen cases involve tour group members, and the Unit has followed up with the relevant travel agencies. The remaining 7 cases involve assistance sought by individual visitors. Most of them hold valid air tickets, but expressed the wish to return to Hong Kong as soon as possible. One assistance seeker who has temporarily lost contact with family members is now confirmed to be safe. The Government will continue to follow up on these cases.
The Government will continue to liaise with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong, the Embassy and the tourism industry and provide all practicable assistance to Hong Kong residents in need. Residents outside Hong Kong who need assistance may call the 24-hour hotline (852) 1868 of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department.
Ends/Monday, January 31, 2011
Issued at HKT 23:04
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