Plane plan:
Under Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok says Cathay Pacific Airways has arranged two additional flights to take Hong Kong people in Tokyo home.
Immigration
The Immigration Department controls the movement of people into and out of Hong Kong. It also issues HKSAR passports and other travel documents, visas and identity cards, and handles nationality matters and the registration of births, deaths and marriages.
Customs & Excise
The Customs & Excise Department's main roles are to protect against smuggling; to collect revenue on dutiable goods; to detect and deter narcotics trafficking and drug abuse; to protect intellectual property rights and consumer interests; to protect and facilitate legitimate trade and industry; and to uphold Hong Kong's trading integrity.
Observatory
The Hong Kong Observatory's mission is to deliver useful and effective meteorological services; to provide quality services in climate, radiation, time standard, seismology, oceanography and astronomy; and to strengthen public preparedness for natural disasters.
Extra flights to bring HK people home
March 16, 2011
Cathay Pacific Airways has arranged two additional flights to bring Hong Kong people in Tokyo home, Under Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok says. There is no need to arrange chartered flights at this stage, but the Government will monitor developments and maintain close contact with airlines.
Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Mr Lai said the extra flights will depart from Narita Airport at 9.50pm and from Haneda Airport at 10.30pm tonight.
The Immigration officers and staff of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Tokyo provided the flight details to people who asked for an early return from the country. Staff will make arrangements for those who want to take the flights, and so far 11 people have registered for them. If necessary, shuttle bus services may be arranged to take people to the airports.
Tour groups
There are nine Hong Kong tour groups with 193 people on Japan's main island of Honshu. They will return to Hong Kong by March 18. It is estimated 800 Hong Kong people are travelling alone on Honshu and will return soon.
About 610 Hong Kong people have joined tour groups and are travelling in other parts of the country. It is estimated 10 groups are now in Okinawa, five groups on Kyushu and nine groups on Hokkaido. They will also return soon.
By 3pm today, the department had received 5,297 enquiries and 1,110 requests for help. More than 458 calls concerned people who had lost contact with their families; another 194 people asked for information.
Officers have made contact with most of the people who lost contact with their families and are still trying to contact 22 people. The Immigration Department has passed the information to the Chinese Embassy in Japan.
Four hundred and fifty-eight people requested an early return to Hong Kong. Arrangements have been made for most of them, and officers are following up on the remaining 51 cases.
Radiation checks
The Hong Kong Observatory has been monitoring Hong Kong’s radiation levels and detected no abnormality. In the next few days, the city will be affected by a northeast monsoon from the Mainland. It is estimated the airstream over the next few days will carry any radioactivity from Japan to the northwest Pacific, away from Hong Kong. The observatory will upload Hong Kong's real-time radiation-level data onto its website as soon as possible.
A "health desk" has been set up at the Hong Kong International Airport. Tourists arriving from Japan can ask for help at the "health desk" if they feel unwell. So far, 64 tourists have asked for radiation checks and all have been confirmed safe.
The Centre for Food Safety has stepped up its radiation surveillance of fresh produce from Japan. By 2pm today, 72 batches of food imported into Hong Kong by air, including aquatic products, vegetables and meat, had been tested and no abnormality was detected.
The centre has contacted the Customs & Excise Department and the trade to trace the source of fresh produce imported by sea and will conduct checks on those foods. Test results will be uploaded onto the centre’s website.
