A new contingency plan, setting out the emergency response arrangements for providing assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress or involved in major disasters overseas has been rolled out.

The plan, titled "Emergency Response Operations Outside the Hong Kong SAR", was formulated on the basis of the established components of the existing Emergency Response System, drawing on the experience gained from the tsunami incident of December last year.

The plan will cater to Hong Kong residents caught up in catastrophic situations of all kinds, be they natural or man-made. Key features cover alert, notification and activation procedures, participating bodies' pre-designated roles and responsibilities, and the dissemination of information to the public.

Three-tier alert procedures

When there is an incident involving Hong Kong residents overseas, it will be treated as Tier One, Two or Three if its significance to or impact on Hong Kong residents is low, medium or high/extreme. The plan will be activated if the incident is classified as Tier Three.

However, if an incident which is likely to have little effect on Hong Kong residents has occurred, but it is considered expedient for Hong Kong to respond in some way, the Chief Executive, or under his authorisation, the Chief Secretary or Security for Security may activate a Tier Three response.

The current eight-digit number of the Immigration Department's Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit hotline, 2829 3010, will be changed to a four-digit number, 1868, which can be more easily remembered.

New hotline 1868 to come into use in mid-August

Arrangements are being made and the new hotline will come into use around mid-August. There will be a transitional period during which calls to the old number will be redirected to the new one.

The public should take precautionary measures when travelling abroad. They should leave their itinerary with someone in Hong Kong, noting useful contact numbers. They should also consider taking out appropriate travel insurance.