HONG KONG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- In view of the latest situation in Britain, the government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) issued on Wednesday an Amber Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the country.

"Residents who plan to visit the United Kingdom or are already there should monitor the situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety, avoid travelling to places with large gatherings of people and pay attention to advice of the local authorities," a spokesman of the Hong Kong SAR government said.

The announcement came after the British authority raised the country's terror threat to critical, the highest level, after a Monday suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena left 22 people dead.

The Hong Kong SAR government said its Security Bureau will closely monitor the situation in Britain, and will issue updates through media and the bureau's mobile app and OTA webpage (www.sb.gov.hk/eng/ota).

Residents who need assistance while in Britain may call the 24-hour hotline of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Hong Kong SAR government's Immigration Department at (852)1868, or contact the Chinese Embassy in Britain at the consular protection hotline: (44) 20-7436 8294/20-7631 1430, it said.

Hong Kong residents are encouraged to use the online Registration of Outbound Travel Information service (www.gov.hk/roti) of the Immigration Department to register their contact details and itinerary when outside Hong Kong, it said, adding that the information provided allows the department to disseminate practical information to them through appropriate means, including SMS on mobile phones, on a timely basis when necessary.