(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM)) Indonesia has started to repatriate its nationals from Yemen following the deteriorating security situation there, a senior government official told reporters yesterday.
The evacuation announcement will be live on the ministry's official website on February 17th-28th, 2015, noted Foreign Affairs Ministrys Head of Yemen Repatriation Task Force, Gatot Abdullah Mansyur, during a press briefing on Wednesday.
Gatot explained that after launching the official announcement, the Indonesian Embassy in Sanaa will identify safe houses and consider the possible route to repatriate citizens back to Indonesia.
"We particularly urge vulnerable citizens, such as pregnant women, infants, and sick people to cooperate in the repatriation process," state news agency, ANTARA News, quoted him as saying.
According to Gatot, currently a total of three safe houses in Yemen are already being operated in the Indonesian Embassy, Indonesian Ambassadors residence, and the Indonesian Student Association (PPI) secretariat offices.
With regard to the route for repatriating citizens, Gatot remarked that the government is planning to charter some aircraft or book some seats for ten to twenty Indonesians to be repatriated in the first batch.
"Besides the air route, we are also considering land and sea routes as many Indonesians in Yemen were residing outside the capital and were living near the sea and the area bordering Saudi Arabia," he explained.
More importantly, Gatot noted that the government will arrange to pick up registered citizens from their homes and bring them to the nearest safe house and then transfer them to Sanaa before repatriating them to Indonesia.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs data, there are 4,159 Indonesian citizens in Yemen, comprising 1,488 migrant workers and the rest being students.
The tense political situation in Yemen has escalated after the Yemeni President and Prime Minister resigned on January 22nd.
Despite the fact that 12 foreign representatives have closed their embassies in Yemen, the Indonesian government will not close its embassy in Sanaa, considering the friendship and bilateral ties shared between Indonesia and Yemen.
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