"We have registered 430 Indonesians consisting of children, women, sick people and female students who are ready to be sent home. This morning at 9.30, a Garuda Indonesia flight (Boeing 747-400) has left Jakarta for Cairo to pick up the second batch of evacuees," the minister said.
Marty said the plane was scheduled to arrive in Cairo at 18.00 local time or 23.00 west Indonesian time (WIB). The plane was expected to return to Jakarta with the 430 Indonesians by 21.30 local time and land at Soekarno-Hatta international airport on Friday (Feb 4) at around noon time.
The minister said the Indonesian consulate in Nasr city was now registering the number of evacuees. It was expected that after registration, the 430 Indonesians would be gradually taken to Cairo international airport using small cars as the local government had banned the operation of tourist buses in the city recently.
As to the fate of the first group of evacuees who arrived in Jakarta last January 2 and were temporarily accommodated at the Hajj Dormitory in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, Marty said those whose homes were located near Jakarta or in Java island had gone home. "Some 125 others whose houses are located outside Java island are still waiting to be sent home using air transportation," he said.
According to data from Foreign Affairs Ministry there are 6,149 Indonesians living in Egypt consisting of 4,297 students and 1,002 workers, as well as Indonesian Embassy staff and their families.
Most of the Indonesians in Egypt live quite far from strategic places which had been the center of riots recently. However, they have set up communication networks at 20 command posts in the riot-torn Middle Eastern nation.
Chairman of the Indonesian Students` Union in Egypt Salahuddin Nurhalim said many of the union`s members living outside Cairo found it hard to enter the city because several roads were still blocked.
He also said some students had expressed their reluctance to leave Egypt because they were afraid they could no longer enter the country in the future.
For security reasons, Indonesia`s foreign affairs ministry has urged Indonesian nationals in riot-torn Egypt to continuously communicate and coordinate with the Indonesian embassy in Cairo.
The Indonesian embassy`s address is 13 Aisah El Taimoria Street, Garden City, Cairo, Egypt; and phone numbers: +20227947200, +20227953877, +20233350627, +20237617681
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Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
