ID :
359218
Thu, 03/05/2015 - 13:04
Auther :

Indonesian Government Repatriates 27 Citizens From Yemen

Jakarta, March 5 (Antara) - The Indonesian government repatriated 27 more people from Yemen by a Yemen Airways flight, the foreign ministry noted in a statement, Thursday. The Indonesian nationals departed from the Sana'a International Airport in Yemen and arrived at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Thursday, at 11:40 a.m. local time. All the returnees are students and some of them are with their family members. Upon their arrival in Jakarta, the foreign ministry, in cooperation with some regional governments, facilitated their return to their hometowns such as Aceh, Medan (North Sumatra), Solo (Central Java), Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), Kendari (Southeast Sulawesi), Manado (North Sulawesi), Bandar Lampung (Lampung), Tarakan (East Kalimantan), and Manokwari (West Papua). They returned to Indonesia voluntarily and were assisted by the Indonesian Embassy in Sana'a in coordination with the Yemeni authorities. The Indonesian Embassy in Sana'a is currently operating normally in offering public services and protection to the Indonesian nationals in Yemen. Due to the escalating tensions in Yemen, some Indonesian citizens in Yemen had requested for repatriation to Indonesia, stated the embassy officials. The Indonesian government has evacuated a total of 47 Indonesian citizens from Yemen so far. The Indonesian government hopes that the conflicting parties in Yemen will be able to find peaceful solutions, so that Yemen can again contribute to peace in the Middle East region and the world. Some 4,159 Indonesian citizens are currently living in Yemen, of which 1,488 are migrant workers and the remaining 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. Considering the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, the Indonesian government has also issued a travel advisory for Indonesians planning to visit that country. "We urge Indonesian citizens, who plan to go to Yemen, to postpone their travel plans," Arrmanatha Nasir, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated during 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.

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