INDONESIA PREPARING TO EVACUATE CITIZENS FROM YEMEN By Fardah

 Jakarta, Feb 28, 2015 (Antara) - Following an escalation in violence in Yemen's northern regions, Indonesia has decided to keep its embassy in Sana'a open, but is preparing to evacuate its citizens from the Arab country.

        However, the embassies of many Western countries have been shut down in Yemen.

        Some 4,159 Indonesian citizens currently live in Yemen, of which 1,488 are migrant workers and the remainder are students.         
   The tense political situation in Yemen escalated after the Yemeni President and Prime Minister resigned on January 22 and rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi took over as the new leader of the country.

        The Indonesian government has also issued a travel advisory for Indonesians planning to visit Yemen, considering the worsening security situation in that country.    

   "We urge Indonesian citizens, who plan to go to Yemen, to postpone their travel," the Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arrmanatha Nasir, stated at a press briefing on February 18.

        Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi has also set up a task force to handle the repatriation of Indonesians from Yemen.

        "We particularly urge vulnerable citizens, such as pregnant women, infants, and the sick to cooperate with our repatriation process," the task force's Head Gatot Abdullah Mansyur remarked recently.

        Some Indonesians will be evacuated from Sana'a to Jakarta by air, but others might have to take land and sea routes, as many Indonesians in Yemen reside outside Sana'a and near the sea and areas bordering Saudi Arabia.

    
Of the over 4,000 Indonesians living in Yemen, about 100 are in Sana'a, which is the city most affected by the political turmoil in the country. The ministry spokesperson, however, noted that conditions in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, are tolerable, although not safe.            
   Registrations started on February 17 and the evacuation will be done in multiple stages. The main challenge in carrying out the evacuation plan lies in informing citizens, who have no access to the Indonesian embassy, and are difficult to reach.

        So far, 70 Indonesians have registered themselves at the Indonesian Embassy seeking help through evacuation as Houthi rebels have taken control of a large area stretching from Saada in the north to the south of Sana'a.

        According to Nasir, Indonesian citizens need to first get an exit permit for evacuation from the Yemeni Government.

        "There are procedures to be followed. They will need an exit permit from the Yemeni Government. So far, some 20 of them have received the permits," Nasir added.

        "According to reports from the Indonesian Embassy, regions that are located quite far from the capital city Sana'a are calmer," he pointed out.

        While preparations for the evacuation are underway, the government has since then taken two major steps.  
   The first step is to set up several safe houses for its citizens, such as at Wisma Duta, the Indonesian Embassy office, and the Indonesian Students Unity (PPI) Secretariat building.         
   The embassy will arrange to pick up the registered citizens from their homes and bring them to the nearest safe house and then transfer them to Sanaa before repatriating them to Indonesia.

        The second step is to look for safe routes through its Embassy to transport Indonesian citizens to a place from where they can be flown back home.

    
 The Indonesian embassy in Sana'a has also urged Indonesian citizens living in the country to remain alert. It has also advised them to not get involved in any political activity in that country and stay away from political rallies and events.

        In the meantime, a legislator had expressed concern over the security situation in Yemen and asked the government to immediately evacuate Indonesian citizens there.

        "The political situation in Yemen is unstable and security conditions in the Middle Eastern country are deteriorating. In view of that, the Indonesian government has to ensure the security of our citizens in that country," the MP from House Commission, I Ahmad Zainuddin, said in a statement recently. 
   He said political conditions in Yemen have become uncertain and so before it is too late, the Indonesian government must take steps to ensure the safety of Indonesian citizens in that country.

        Zainuddin of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said a number of countries had already adopted anticipatory measures by closing their representative offices there.

        "Before it is too late, the government must take steps to ensure the security of Indonesian citizens and if necessary evacuate them," he stated.

        He added that the current situation in Yemen is not different from that in Syria, where Sunni and Shiite groups are fighting for power.

        Al-Jazeera reported on Feb. 26 that after being deposed in a coup when Houthi rebels overran his presidential palace, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is looking to resume his duties after escaping from house-arrest in Sanaa, to Aden, Hadramout, South Yemen.

        Hadi has withdrawn his resignation and is summoning ministers to join him in Aden, dismissing the actions of the Houthi rebels as "null and illegitimate."
   All parties in Yemen, including the separatist Houthi rebels, have been urged by the United Nations Security Council to resolve their differences through dialogue and reject violence.

    
 In a statement, the 15-member body also asked them to refrain from provocation and all unilateral actions to undermine the political transition.

        The members of the Security Council welcomed the news that the country's "legitimate President" is no longer confined and called for the release of his Prime Minister and other individuals that have been arbitrarily detained.

        "President Hadi has expressed his intention to engage in good faith in the U.N.-brokered negotiations. The parties were also asked to speed up these talks at a location, which will be determined by the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Yemen, Jamal Benomar," U.N. Radio reported on Feb. 26. ***2***
(f001/INE/O001)