We hope the evacuation did not happen, but if it is to take place then we are ready at any time
Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government is ready to evacuate 30,000 workers from South Korea, following the escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula, Director General of Employment from the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry Reyna Usman said here Thursday.

"We are ready to carry out the evacuation of workers from the countries that are experiencing disaster or war, but we are still waiting for the situation`s development from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy, and local governments," she said.

Reyna also said that the Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar is also planning to visit the Republic of Korea (ROK) on 19 April.

"We are now registering migrant workers to be evacuated as an anticipating measure, of course we will prioritize on elderly people, women, and children, but the evacuation plans is ensured now, because we are still waiting for developments," she said.

According Reyna workers who worked in the ROK are generally in the formal sector, including the automotive industry. "We hope the evacuation did not happen, but if it is to take place then we are ready at any time," he said.

Currently, the ministry is conducting the evacuation of workers working in Syria that is currently at war. "Every day there is an evacuation, and now only tens of thousands of people left, from more than 100 thousand workers," he said.

The Head of the East Java Civil Manpower and Transmigration office Soegiri Hary added that migrant workers from East Java who work in ROK from 2008 to 2012 reached 6.478 people, and none works in North Korea.

"Only the embassy staffs who are working in North Korea," he said.

He said he had coordinated with the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy related to the fate of thousands of migrant workers from East Java.

"According to the information we are required to wait until 10 April, but until today nothing happened there, so we waited for the central government instruction," he said.

Currently tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula due to the threat of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to make preparations for the strategic rocket attacks to the mainland and the U.S. military bases in South Korea.

The order was issued by Kim on Friday (29/3) after U.S. stealth bombers conducted joint exercises with the ROK, and Washington responded the threat by strengthening its military power.
(A050)

Editor: Ella Syafputri
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