... the Indonesia Air Force is prepared. We will be ready to leave for Yemen within minutes of receiving the order...Poso, C Sulawes (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) is waiting for an order from President Joko Widodo to evacuate citizens in Yemen, TNI Commander General Moeldoko said here on Tuesday.
The TNI is still awaiting an order from the president through Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi with regard to saving the citizens trapped amid the armed conflicts in the country, he added.
"I have told the foreign affairs minister that the Indonesia Air Force is prepared. We will be ready to leave for Yemen within minutes of receiving the order. We are waiting for an order from President Jokowi (Joko Widodo) through the foreign affairs minister," he stated after attending a community service event held on the sidelines of an exercise organized for the swift reaction attack unit here.
According to the plan, Moeldoko said that citizens trapped in Yemen would be evacuated by an air force aircraft out of the country and picked up by bus, which would then take them to a safe place or an airport before they are flown home by a civilian plane.
"Our task is to first evacuate the citizens in Yemen to save them. Only later will we fly them to Indonesia by a civilian plane," he affirmed.
The Indonesian government has decided to take every effort possible to save its citizens.
"I just spoke with the foreign affairs minister regarding ways (to transport them out of Yemen)," Vice President Jusuf Kalla said in his office on Monday.
He added that issues discussed included land, air and sea routes that could possibly be taken to evacuate the citizens.
The routes that could be taken were discussed in depth, he noted, adding that they could be brought home via Saudi Arabia, Oman, or Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
The Indonesian government is putting in efforts to ensure the safety of its citizens during their evacuation, following the escalation of clashes between the Houthi militia and soldiers of Yemeni President Mansour Hadi, who is supported by Arab countries.
Moreover, the Foreign Affairs Ministry pointed out that efforts to evacuate the citizens will be intensified as conditions in Yemen are worsening.
"In view of the current developments, we believe it is time to step up efforts to evacuate our citizens from Yemen," Marsudi remarked.
According to the minister, there are 4,159 Indonesian citizens in Yemen, including 2,626 students, 1,488 professionals working in the oil and gas sector, and 45 embassy staff and their families, at present.
"Of the total, some live in the eastern regions of Yemen," she noted.
Marsudi also pointed out that since February, the government, through the Evacuation Task Force set up by her office, has been issuing an announcement and approaching citizens to immediately register themselves for evacuation.
The evacuation of the first batch of Indonesians in March involved 148 citizens.
Editor: Ade P Marboen
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