At the request of the Thai Government, the Hong Kong Government will send protective wear - the first batch of resources - to Phuket tomorrow, Deputy Secretary for Security Michael Wong says.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Mr Wong said the resources to be sent to Phuket included plastic gloves, face masks and plastic boots.

At 12 noon today, the Immigration Department's hotline, 2829 3010, had received 985 requests for assistance and 877 enquiries. Of the people enquired about, 174 cannot be reached.

Among them, 113 were reported to be in Thailand, three in Malaysia, 12 in Sri Lanka, three in the Maldives, and 15 in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, 843 people were reportedly stranded in the affected areas. Since the information on those people is incomplete, the Government is now following up on these cases.

Number of requests may rise after holidays

"The number of people who cannot be reached has dropped substantially because we have eliminated the double-counted cases. Also, some of the concerned people have returned to Hong Kong or re-established contacts with us."

However, Mr Wong expected that the number of requests for assistance may rise when the Christmas and New Year holidays come to an end next week.

He urged employers to call the Immigration Department's hotline if they find their employers, who are supposed to resume work after the festive holidays, do not show up.

Speaking on the work of the 145-stong support team in Phuket, Mr Wong said the team had set up fixed assistance points at Phuket and Bangkok airports and at the co-ordination centre provided by the Thai Government.

It has also formed a command centre and set up three hotlines in Phuket.

Support team working in Phuket

Mr Wong said Police officers had started visiting hotels to check their guests' records and the work of taking specimens for DNA testing was also under way.

The Government was now considering sending more Police officers to Phuket, he added.

Director of Home Affairs Pamela Tan said her department had contacted 110 affected families and had offered assistance to them. The assistance includes arranging psychological treatment and offering temporary financial assistance.

The department has also assisted the families of the two deceased men in handling the burial arrangements.

Ms Tan urged affected residents and their families who need psychological or welfare assistance to call the department's hotline - 2835 1473.

Meanwhile, the Home Affairs and Social Welfare Departments have set up an assistance point at Hong Kong International Airport to offer immediate help to victims arriving in Hong Kong.

Guidelines issued for schools

Deputy Secretary for Education & Manpower Vivian Lau said a set of guidelines has been uploaded onto the bureau's website for schools to handle matters related to the tsunamis.

She urged schools to pay attention to the absence of teachers and students on Monday - the first school day after the Christmas and New Year hoildays.

"If schools find that some teachers or students are absent, they should find out whether they are affected by the tsunamis.

"They are advised to set up crisis management working groups to work out a plan to offer assistance to the affected teachers or students."

Meanwhile, the Immigration Department has set up a dedicated webpage to provide information to help affected residents.