EFFORTS TO REPATRIATE INDONESIANS FROM YEMEN STEPPED UP By Fardah

Jakarta, March 31, 2015 (Antara) -- The Indonesian government is intensifying efforts to repatriate its citizens from conflict-ridden Yemen, following the military airstrikes launched by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels.

         Violence in Yemen escalated after the Yemeni president and prime minister resigned on January 22 and rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi gained power in the country.      
   Indonesia has expressed concern over the prolonged conflict in Yemen, and urged every party to refrain from committing violent acts and to be mindful of the safety of civilians in Yemen, both locals and foreigners.

         Some 4,159 Indonesian citizens currently live in Yemen, of which 2,626 are students, 1,488 are professional workers in oil and gas companies, and 45 are embassy staff and their families.

         "Given the current condition, it is now time to step up efforts to evacuate of our citizens in Yemen," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi said on March 30.

         Of the 175 Indonesian citizens who registered for evacuation, 148 were repatriated in March.

         The government is carrying out the evacuation process expeditiously because the situation is still dynamic.

         According to the Indonesian Embassy in Sana'a, most Indonesians are residing in the southern part of the country where there is less turmoil.

         The Indonesian government started the evacuation process in February for citizens who wanted to voluntarily return home.

         The Indonesian Embassy is still facilitating the evacuation and protection of its citizens on a limited basis. It has also prepared an emergency contingency plan in case the situation worsens.

         Moreover, the Indonesian government has issued a travel advisory for its citizens planning to visit Yemen, and has set up a task force to handle the repatriation of Indonesians from the country.

        The government has asked citizens to postpone their trip to Yemen until the situation stabilizes.

        In addition, the embassy in Yemen is providing services to Indonesian citizens through a 24-hour hotline at +967 738115555.

        At present, the embassy in Sana'a is preparing to transport 101 Indonesians, including embassy staff and their families, students and professional migrant workers, to Al Hudaydah, from where they will then be transported out of Yemen.

        A spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Arrmanatha Nasir, earlier said that the government would consider taking every possible means of evacuation, whether it is by land, air or sea.

        "The first evacuation option is by land, but for long distances, we will try to travel by air via Salalah. We will also try the sea route and attempt to rescue our citizens through every available option," he affirmed.

        Nasir added that the evacuation process had been hindered as airports in Yemen were opened only for a few hours a day.

        In view of that, the Foreign Affairs Ministry will cooperate with the Indonesian Military (TNI) to pick up its citizens using TNI aircraft.

        On April 1, the National Police is scheduled to dispatch an evacuation task force to Yemen to assist in transporting them out of the country.

        "The team will be dispatched tomorrow," Chief of the Public Information Bureau (Karopenmas) Brigadier General Agus Rianto said on March 31.

        The evacuation task force, which comprises five policemen and two policewomen, is a combination of personnel from several units of the Police Headquarters, such as the International Relations Division (Divhubinter), the Security Maintenance Agency (Baharkam), the Intelligence and Security Agency, the Police Education Institute (Lemdikpol), and the Police Medical Team.

        "They will be fielded for at least 14 days, and their serving time will be adjusted in accordance with the development of the situation in Yemen," Rianto stated.

        The seventh police team will be divided to aid two regions, namely Sana'a in Yemen and Salalah in Oman.    
   Furthermore, Director of Protection and Legal Aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, noted that Indonesia has applied for a flight clearance from the governments of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen in case it decides to conduct evacuation by air.

        "We have communicated with our ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen. We are seeking flight clearance, but a decision has yet to be made with regard to which aircraft will be used for the operation as it would also be determined by the number of citizens to be evacuated," he explained.

        As reported on March 29, more than 20 Indonesian citizens were detained by Yemeni authorities because of immigration issues.

        The Indonesian Embassy, fortunately, managed to facilitate the release of the 24 Indonesians within two days, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

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