Indonesia says it is committed to evacuating all of its citizens in Yemen because of worsening conditions in that Middle Eastern country.
Tedjo Edhi Purdijano, the Coordinating Minister of Politics, Law and Security, Monday told reporters in Jakarta that most of them are students or migrant workers.
"We are ready to bring all of them back home. After their documents have been processed by our embassy there, we’ll facilitate their departure back to Indonesia," he said.
He added that the military has several planes ready to fly over and retrieve the Indonesian citizens.
According to the Foreign Ministry, about 4,159 Indonesian are scattered all over Yemen, 2,686 are students and 1,488 are migrant workers.
The Embassy in Sana’a is operating on a limited basis in facilitating the evacuation process.
The announcement of the evacuation plan follows news that 20 Indonesians have been arrested in Yemen.
Tedjo said they are being held on immigration issues and not for involvement with Houthi militias. Even so, the minister said he is still waiting for the latest information on the arrests.
This report was produced in collaboration with the VOA Indonesian service.
