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Safety first:  Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee says the Government has issued a Black Outbound Travel Alert for Japan's Fukushima Prefecture after an explosion in a nuclear power plant in the area.

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.

Security Bureau

The Security Bureau maintains law and order, exercises immigration and customs control, rehabilitates offenders and drug abusers, and provides emergency fire and rescue services.

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.

Black travel alert issued for Fukushima

March 12, 2011

The Government has issued a Black Outbound Travel Alert for Japan's Fukushima Prefecture due to an explosion in a nuclear power plant in the area, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee says. The Red Outbound Travel Alert is maintained for the rest of the country.

 

Speaking to reporters tonight, Mr Lee said Hong Kong residents in Japan should avoid all travel to Fukushima Prefecture, pay attention to the announcement of local government and take practicable measures to attend to their personal safety. 

 

The Government today issued SMS over mobile phones to Hong Kong residents with roaming services in Japan to inform them the Black Outbound Travel Alert has been issued for Fukushima Prefecture of Japan, and residents there should attend to their personal safety.

 

Noting the radioactive substance from the affected area will not affect Hong Kong, he said the Hong Kong Observatory will closely monitor the situation. The current radiation level in the city is normal.

 

The Mainland authorities have also stepped up their surveillance and the recent measurements have not shown any abnormality in radiation levels in the country.

 

Tour groups

The local tourism industry will cancel all trips to Tokyo until March 14. There are 25 Hong Kong tour groups in Honshu. Eight tour groups comprising about 200 people will return to Hong Kong today. Another 300 people will be back by March 15.

 

It is estimated that about 800 Hong Kong people are traveling in the country on their own. Some of them may have returned home.

 

Six immigration officers have arrived in Japan to provide assistance to Hong Kong residents there. Two officers are now at Haneda Airport while the other four are at Narita Airport. They will join staff from the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Tokyo to set up special counters at the airports to help Hong Kong people there.

 

Mr Lee said  flight services between Hong Kong and the two airports are resuming. Two flights from Haneda Airport and four from Narita Airport will arrive in Hong Kong today. About 130 flight seats will be available tomorrow for Hong Kong people in need.

 

Requests for assistance

By 6pm today, the department had received 571 requests for help and 1,895 enquiries.

 

Mr Lee said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Japan have activated an emergency response mechanism to help Chinese citizens, including Hong Kong people. The embassy has set up a hotline, 81-3-3403 3064, to give assistance to people in need.

 

The Security Bureau will continue to monitor the situation and issue updates through the media and the Outbound Travel Alert webpage. It will continue to liaise with the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Tokyo and the Chinese Embassy in Japan.

 

Residents outside Hong Kong who need assistance can call the Immigration Department's 24-hour hotline, (852) 1868.

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