FM, house discuss evacuation of RI nationals from Egypt

Jakarta, NU Online
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told the House of Representatives (DPR) on Wednesday the evacuation of Indonesian nationals from riot-torn Egypt was focused on ensuring their safety and logistic needs.

Speaking at a working meeting with the House`s Commission I on foreign affairs, the minister said after ensuring their safety and logistic needs. the government would facilitate their evacuation.<<>br />
The minister said the political conditions in Egypt were worsening and street demonstrations were spreading. Even, the curfew imposed by the government was defied by demonstrators.

In the meantime, the various new policies adopted by President Hosni Mubarak were not able to reduce demonstrators` demand for his resignation.

The minister said the political tension had begun to affect stocks of various basic necessities, including those for Indonesian citizens still staying in that country.

He said the number of Indonesians at the Indonesian embassy at present stood at 6,149, consisting of 4,297 students and 1,002 migrant workers and people in other categories.

"Our priority is to safeguard them and this data still needs to be verified and updated," the foreign minister said.

In carrying out the evacuation, priority would be given to children and women and they were expected to arrive in Indonesia at 1.3 pm on Wednesday..

Marty also said that his ministry had issued a travel advisory and installed hot lines both in the central government and in the Indonesian representative offices and accommodating facilities had been prepared at the embassy in Egypt.

He said that the routes of the air-evacuation did not include the Jakarta-Cairo-Jakarta only but also routes through other neighboring states.

"There are three places, namely in Amman, Jordan. This country does not require visa so that our movement is flexible. the other ones are Jeddah and Dubai because there are many trips from Dubai to Jakarta," he said. (dar)