Indonesians in Kuwait on high alert

Indonesians in Kuwait on high alert

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With the war in Iraq starting to affecting its neighboring
countries, the Indonesian government has intensified preparations
for the evacuation of its 35,000 citizens in Kuwait to a safer
location.

Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said on
Saturday that the embassy in Kuwait City had prepared steps to
move Indonesian nationals to the southern part of Kuwait should
the situation worsen.

"Our embassy reported that so far, there has been no major
exodus or evacuation of our citizens, as the situation remains
normal despite the war," he told The Jakarta Post.

The Indonesian Embassy is also preparing additional places of
refuge for its citizens in anticipation of a mass evacuation. The
Indonesian government has chosen Saudi Arabia as the central
refuge for Indonesians in the Middle East should the Iraq war
escalate.

Marty said that the chief of the national team on Iraq, Adm.
(ret) Widodo A.S., is currently assessing the condition in Kuwait
to see whether it was necessary to relocate Indonesian citizens.

"The President is expected to hear further recommendations
from Pak Widodo as to whether we have to take other emergency
steps in Kuwait," Marty remarked.

Widodo left for Kuwait on Thursday as soon as the United
States began its strike on Iraq, which borders Kuwait.

Kuwait has been targeted by Iraqi missiles since the beginning
of the war, as many U.S. troops are stationed there.

Air raid sirens have been keeping the country on high alert to
possible missile attacks.

Several other governments, such as those of Germany and
Malaysia, are also preparing to evacuate their nationals from
countries bordering Iraq.

The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has received airspace
clearance for its Hercules C-130 military transporters flying
into Kuwait, Syria, Iran, Jordan and Bahrain, the New Straits
Times said.

Malaysian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Syed Hussein
Al Habshee said Bahrain and Kuwait had given the green light for
RMAF transport planes to fly over their respective airspace and
land in Kuwait City to pick up Malaysian nationals.

Government data shows that most of the Indonesian nationals
working in Kuwait are domestic helpers.

Marty said that the embassy had assigned several officers as
regional coordinators to conduct regular supervision of
Indonesians in Kuwait, should immediate evacuation be necessary.

"We have received reports from the coordinator and so far, our
citizens working as domestic helpers are remaining with their
employers, and we hope they will accompany their employers to
safer grounds in the event their employers decide to do so," he
added.

The evacuation team has been working to prepare emergency
procedures over the past three months, while seeking guarantees
from several Middle Eastern countries for the safety of
Indonesian nationals in the region.