The first alternative, if we have to evacuate them, it will be via Sanaa airport, and via land to Saudi Arabia
Cairo (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Ambassador to Yemen Nurul Aulia said the anti-government rallies in Yemen have not affected Indonesian nationals in the Arab state.

"The Indonesian embassy in Sanaa had begun preparing an evacuation but so far the rallies have not affected the security of Indonesian nationals," Ambassador Aulia told ANTARA correspondence in Cairo via phone, Friday evening (March 4).

Only one Indonesian student from Taiz city (around 180 km south of Sanaa) evacuated himself because he felt that his safety was at risk.

There are 3,259 Indonesian nationals in Yemen, including 1,700 students mostly studying in Mukalla (some 754 km northeast of Sanaa), and Tarim, both in Hadramaut Province.

Indonesians in Yemen can be found in Sana`a, Hudaidah, Aden, and Sa`ada.

Among them are 300 Indonesian female migrant workers (TKW), while around 300 more are believed not to have registered themselves at the Indonesian embassy so their whereabouts was not known.

If the situation got worse, the Indonesians would be evacuated via air, land and sea, the ambassador said.

"The first alternative, if we have to evacuate them, it will be via Sanaa airport, and via land to Saudi Arabia," he said.

And if it has to take sea transportation, the gate will be through harbors Mukalla and Hudaidah, according to the ambassador.

The Indonesian embassy had gathered a number of Indonesian nationals and informed them about a possibility of evacuation.

They were also told to be careful, stay indoor and avoid crows.

The embassy has bought ample food for stocks in case of emergency, and set up emergency command posts in Aden, Mukalla, Hudaidah, Tarim and Sanaa.

The ambassador has also put advertisement on At-Thaurah daily on February 20, 2011, urging the Indonesian nationals and employers of Indonesian female migrant workers to register themselves or their employees to the Indonesian embassy in Sanaa.
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Editor: AA Ariwibowo
Copyright © ANTARA 2011