The Manila hostage tragedy victims and their families received prompt and comprehensive assistance after the incident, thanks to the swift response of the Hong Kong support team who flew to the Philippine capital to help.
Team commander Under Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok recently told news.gov.hk more than 30 people from various Government departments were sent to Manila to handle the aftermath of the crisis.
He said good co-ordination between team members, other authorities and the victims' families was essential in ensuring the smooth return of those killed and injured to Hong Kong within two days.
Red-tape reduction
The team helped the grief-stricken families handle the formalities of getting their loved ones out of Manila. Despite having to deal with the shock of the incident, Mr Lai said the families worked well with the team in stressful circumstances.
"Although we met for the first time we are like a team which has co-operated for long time," he said, adding the collaboration enabled all tasks to be completed in a quick and orderly way.
Queen Mary Hospital Accident & Emergency Department Chief of Service Dr Tong Hon-kuan said the decisive action showed how flexible Government departments can be when serious incidents occur.
"When there is a common goal, all procedures can be completed quickly and interdepartmental co-ordination can be achieved," he said, adding such team spirit helped in the difficult task of arranging two charter flights, which required liaison with multiple parties.
"I cannot imagine how complicated the procedures were and how many people had to work behind the scenes," he said, adding the work included tasks no-one would expect. The ordeal left one of the victims so traumatised she could not sleep until someone read the Bible to her.
"Her response to the Bible was very positive. She relaxed and could sleep for a while after listening to psalms," he said.
Government officers also dealt with a host of documents, procedures and security arrangements to transfer the victims from Manila hospitals to Hong Kong in the shortest time.
Additional support
Immigration Officer Leung Hou-tak was sent to the hapless holidaymakers' hotel to help those released by the gunman. He helped find medicine for an elderly couple with the help of the Chinese Embassy, and contacted their families in Hong Kong through the Immigration Department.
"Whether you are dealing with a large or small incident, it is important to address victims' needs rationally and perceptually so they can be handled comprehensively," he said.
Senior Immigration Officer Michael Hong arrived in Manila and immediately went to the control centre formed by Philippine authorities near the hijacking site. When the first shot rang out at 6.45pm the atmosphere in the control centre was very tense.
Mr Hong said he wanted to know about the hostages' situation but there was no television in the control centre and the Philippine officials did not speak English very often.
"It is difficult to gather and compile fragmented information in an unfamiliar environment and with limited time and send it to Hong Kong to map out a follow-up plan," he said.
After the incident he visited the survivors in five hospitals.
"I arrived at each hospital with the hope they were all fine, although I understood there could be some serious injuries and possibly more deaths," he said. "I was relieved when I learned the injuries were not as bad as I had initially thought."
Traumatic experience
Social Welfare Department Chief Social Work Officer (Family & Children Welfare) Maria Lau said the shaken survivors befriended their Hong Kong helpers like family.
"At first I was a professional social worker, there to help people. But after some time we were all like friends and family. We shared our experience and discussed how to handle the incident," she said.
"While the most disastrous period has passed, with such a huge change in life, it is time for them to now plan their long-term futures and resume normal lives."
Social Welfare Department clinical psychologist Alfred Chan said family support is vital in such circumstances.
"My role was to assist the families in supporting the victims in overcoming the difficulties of such trauma," he said, adding it was important to keep the victims emotionally stable so immigration officers could explain the practical procedures for getting back to Hong Kong to them.
Rounding up, Mr Lai said the good work of the support team greatly helped the victims of a deeply traumatic incident, which he said would be forever etched in his memory.
"The scenes still keep flashing in my mind. The experience is definitely indelible to my career in the Government."
