KUALA LUMPUR, July 27, 2006 (AFP) - Australia, which has evacuated over 4,000 of its citizens from Lebanon, Thursday offered to help any Southeast Asian nationals stranded amidst heavy fighting in the country's south. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia's formal evacuations had ceased but would continue on an "ad hoc" basis, and that Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) nationals were welcome. "We obviously give first priority to our own nationals ... but we do take nationals of other countries," Downer told a joint press conference with Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon after a bilateral meeting. "If there are Thais who still need to get out, and in the event of us having a ship available and space on the ship, we would be very happy to take Thais and other ASEAN citizens, of course we would," he said. "We evacuated ASEAN citizens from the Solomon Islands, we've evacuated them from East Timor and we'll always help with them." Kantathi welcomed Australia's offer, adding that 80 Thai nationals had chosen to remain in Lebanon while 39 had been evacuated to Syria. Thailand has no embassy in Lebanon and has been helped by the Philippines, he said. Australia has so far evacuated around 4,500 of its estimated 25,000 citizens in Lebanon and some 1,200 people from other countries. Formal evacuations ceased on Tuesday, but Downer said they would continue as needed. "Our sense is there probably aren't many more who want to leave," he said, adding that those in southern Lebanon had the greatest difficulties if they did want to evacuate. "So we're still making arrangements for the in small numbers, because they are only coming forward in small numbers, to get on ships that may come into Tyre," he said, referring to the city south of Beirut. ey/dk/pch