Govt. to send team to evacuate Indonesians in Middle East amid possible war on Iraq

With tens of thousands of its citizens working in the Middle East, the Indonesian government is following the example of its Southeast Asian neighbors and preparing for the worst. In the face of a growing threat of war in Iraq, Jakarta is sending a team of government personnel to the region to plan an evacuation of Indonesian nationals. – YaleGlobal

Govt. to send team to evacuate Indonesians in Middle East amid possible war on Iraq

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

JAKARTA (JP): A team from the Ministry of Manpower and Resettlement will be sent to Middle East Thursday in a bid to evacuate Indonesians from a possible U.S.-led war on Iraq, Antara reported.

The team is expected to prepare the evacuation of Indonesian workers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates, said I Gusti Made Arka, the evacuation team's vice chairman, on Tuesday.

The government, he said, has already booked some airplanes to carry the Indonesians to a safe place in the Middle East if the war on Iraq breaks up.

They will possibly be evacuated to Dubai if the United States and its allies launch a unilateral attack on Iraq.

"They will be brought home, if necessary" said Made Arka, adding that the team will visit three Middle Eastern countries for two weeks to make the preparation.

Data of the ministry showed that currently some 60,000 Indonesians are working in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

The government has recently evacuated at least 97 Indonesian people from Iraq to Jordan.

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