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The Government is very concerned about Hong Kong students stranded at Heathrow Airport, London, due to snowstorm and would proactively offer assistance with a view to bringing them home, the Under Secretary for Security, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, said today (December 20).
In a media briefing held this afternoon, Mr Lai said, "The Director General of London Economic and Trade Office (ETO), Mrs Agnes Allcock, went to Heathrow Airport last night (December 19) to talk to the students stranded there and offer them assistance."
Staff from the London ETO went to Heathrow Airport again today to provide assistance and had been in touch with more than 100 Hong Kong students there, he said. The staff had also liaised with local airlines, urging them to strengthen the release of flight information.
He said, "the London ETO will provide practicable assistance to Hong Kong students, including food accommodation and other urgent needs during their stranded stay in London."
From December 17, 2010 to now, Immigration Department has received 152 enquiries and 39 requests for assistance. Most of them wanted early return to Hong Kong. For students with special needs, such as young students, their family members had been contacted and their needs attended to.
Hong Kong residents who need help may call the Immigration Department's Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit hotline at (852)1868.
Should the weather conditions permit, four immigration officers would depart for London tonight to assist stranded Hong Kong students, Mr Lai said.
According to Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, the situation at airports in London was still very fluid and many flights had to be cancelled. It was difficult for airlines to arrange taking off and landing in London.
"We understand that when the weather conditions permit and normal flight is resumed, priority in boarding flights from London to Hong Kong would be given to minors and unaccompanied students."
Mr Lai said the Government and airlines would continue to closely monitor the situation and would exhaust all possible means to bring stranded Hong Kong students home in an orderly manner when the airport resumes normal operation.
"After the airport has resumed normal operation, airlines would strive to bring home stranded students. In case seats provided by airlines cannot address the needs of all students, we will arrange chartered flights to solve the problem," he said.
Ends/Monday, December 20, 2010
Issued at HKT 21:31
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