On the New Year's Day of 2005, Ambassador Zhang Jiuhuan paid a visit to southern Thailand which has been seriously hit by the tsunami to greet Chinese experts and medics team as well as the working group sent by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the working group consisting of staffs from Chinese embassy and consulates in Thailand who have been working in the forefront of disaster relief.

Accompanied by Consul General Hua Jinzhou in Songkhla, Ambassador Zhang first visited Khaolak County of Phang Nga Province which was most seriously hit by the tsunami to see the team of experts from Chinese Academy of Sciences specialized in DNA appraisal. The team consists 5 members (including 2 female ones) with the eldest being 32 and the youngest being only 22 and all of them holding a doctorate or a master's degree. The working conditions were harsh with about 100 bodies in the mortuary starting to decompose and sending off strong smell. However, the young experts were very concentrated, calm and careful in doing the appraisals. Ambassador Zhang expressed his admiration and appreciations for their precious professionalism, lofty humanitarianism and great courage in facing the difficulties and also extended sincere greetings to them. Ambassador Zhang also visited 22 members of the medics teams from Shanghai and Guangdong who were guiding and assisting local medical staffs to conduct epidemic prevention over 200 kilometers away from the Phuket.

Ambassador Zhang called on disaster relief staffs from the HKSAR in the afternoon, expressing New Year's greetings to them. Ambassador Zhang said the HKSAR government responded to the abrupt disaster very quickly and has sent an emergency team consisting of staffs from Hong Kong Security Bureau, the Immigration Department as well as the Supplementary Medical Team in a timely fashion to the forefront of the fight against the disaster. They have been working closely with Thailand to actively searching Hong Kong compatriots missing in the tsunami and to provide facilitations for Hong Kong compatriots to return to Hong Kong. Their work has been very effective. Ambassador Zhang said local Chinese embassy and consulates will try their best to assist the working group from Kong Kong until the mission is accomplished successfully at last. The working group from Hong Kong expressed gratitude to the embassy and consulates for their enthusiastic and strong support in recent days.

In the evening, Ambassador Zhang looked up the 14 staff members from the embassy and the consulate general in Songkhla at the forefront of the fight against the disaster, all of whom managed to appear in Phuket the very day the tsunami took place to help the wounded, search the people who were missing, provide assistance to citizens who have lost their money and property, and remake credentials on site for citizens to go home. The staffs of the working group have been working day and night for a whole week at the forefront of the fight against the disaster. Ambassador Zhang encouraged them to carry on the spirit of enduring hardships and working continuously to do the follow-up work well in an enthusiastic, patient and meticulous manner.

Moreover, Ambassador Zhang also met with Minister of Resources Suwit Khunkitti and Minister of Justice Pongthep Thepkanjana of Thailand as well as Governor of Phuket Province Udomsak Usawarangkura and Director of the Disaster Relief Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand in Phuket, expressing deep sympathy to the people of Thailand for life and property losses inflicted by the tsunami and reiterating that the Chinese government and people take the difficulties of the Thailand government and people as their own and would like to share the difficulties and pains together with Thailand. Ambassador Zhang actively exchanged views with the Thai side on how the Chinese experts team undertake its work. The Thai side expressed heartfelt thanks to the Chinese government for its timely provision of human, financial and material assistance. They said a friend in need is a friend indeed. China's assistance reflects the brotherly friendship between China and Thailand and the government and people of Thailand will bear it in mind forever.

On the following day, Ambassador Zhang went to the hospital to see the mayor of Patong City, Phuket Province, who is of Chinese origin and met with the Chairman of Chinese Phuket Chamber of Commerce Mr. Chen Zecheng to understand how Chinese compatriots in Phuket were hit by the disaster and how they were helping themselves in production and rebuilding of homes, expressing to them his care, condolences, encouragement and belief that "blood is thicker than water". Both of them indicated they would rebuild their homes with the same kind of courage that had helped them carve out their career.