RI BEGINS EVACUATING ITS NATIONALS FROM JAPAN

Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 14 (ANTARA) - Indonesia began on Monday evacuating its nationals from disaster-stricken areas in Japan with some 104 evacuees expected to arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday. They arrived in Tokyo from Sendai on Monday.          More than 400 Indonesians living in different parts of earthquake and tsunami-stricken regions in Japan are going to be evacuated to Tokyo and eventually sent home, Indonesian ambassador to Japan Muhammad Lutfi said.          According to data of the Foreign Ministry, 31,517 Indonesians are at present living in Japan, mostly or around 24,000 in Tokyo and around 6,700 in Osaka.  However, evacuation will be carried out for those living in three most affected areas, namely in Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi and Fukushima.          There were 496 Indonesian citizens who were spread in the three areas located near the epicenter of the earthquake. They were 140 people in Iwate Prefecture, 274 people in Miyagi and 82 people in Fukushima City.         Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Sunday 121 Indonesians would be relocated from Sendai on Monday, who consisted of 60 percent men and 40 percent women.        "The 121 Indonesians are expected to leave from Sendai and arrive in Tokyo on Monday evening," the minister said, adding that most of the evacuees are students comprising 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women.          On Friday, Japan was hit by an earthquake measuring 8.9 on Richter scale that triggered a towering tsunami which crippled the north-eastern region of Japan, killing at least 1,000 people.         Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa immediately reported the disaster to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who ordered immediate safety efforts.  "We will collect information as fast as possible. Certainly this news is shocking. We hope the situation will not deteriorate and our people could all be protected,"  the foreign minister said.         President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday asked the  foreign affairs ministry and Indonesia's diplomatic mission in Japan to locate all Indonesians following last Friday (March 11)'s natural disaster.          In the meantime,  Indonesian Minister for  Women's Empowerment  and Child Protection Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar asked the Indonesian embassy in Japan to prioritize women and children in its efforts to help Indonesians affected by Friday's earthquake and tsunami disaster.          "We have contacted the Indonesian Embassy in Japan and discussed the fate of women and children affected by the earthquake and tsunami," said Linda Gumelar Monday.          Linda said her ministry has contacted the Indonesian Embassy in Japan to ensure that Indonesian citizens  there remained in good condition, especially women and children. "I am really concerned about the disaster, and I want to make sure that children and women  residing in that country are safe,"  she said.          In order to provide assistance, the embassy has set up and sent teams to the affected regions to provide help for Indonesian nationals.          "The Indonesian Embassy has set up a team for rescuing our people in Japan, especially those who are staying in Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi and Fukushima. An airplane has been sent to evacuate them to Tokyo," said Ambassador Lutfi.         The Indonesian embassy has rescue teams Miyagi and Iwate prefectures  who arrived on Saturday.   "The Indonesian embassy in Tokyo  sent two evacuation teams to Miyagi and Iwate on Saturday," the embassy said.         Yet some Indonesians are running short of logistics in Sendai for example. Tens of Indonesian nationals sheltered at Sendai  are in dire need of food and drink, according to the embassy in Tokyo.         Right now priority in the distribution of food is gaven to senior citizens and children while the supply of drinking water is also limited. But a team of embassy employees had arrived at Sanjo junior high school building where the Indonesian nationals were being sheltered.         They later set up a public kitchen to provide food to the Indonesian nationals. Yet a shortage of foodstuff posed an obstacle. They were all in good health, though  some of them began to complain about poor facilities at the evacuee camp.         In Sendai, capital of Miyagi prefecture, the relief team  evacuated on Monday ten Indonesians.  Head of the National Workers Placement and Protection Agency (BNP2TKI) Jumhur Hidayat  said the ten evacuees consisted of seven nurses and three students.          The seven nurses were Mugiyati, Desi Subarkan, Jajang Rahmat, Emey Wahyudi, Siti Nur Lailiay, Wihel Maridadewi and Wisita Permanasari while the three students who were also evacuated to Tokyo were Robert Dwipura,Tahta Erlangga and Achmad Faisal Dwiputra. "They are expected to arrive in Tokyo at midnight today." Jumhur said on Monday.          Jumhur also pointed out that  there were four Indonesian nurses in Fukushima prefecture who survived the earthquake and tsunami. The whereabouts of the four Indonesian nurses were previously not known but later it was reported that they were safe and had been evacuated to a Tokyo military hospital.          They were taken to the hospital to be examined whether or not they were exposed to radiation following the explosion of a nuclear power plant (PLTN) in Fukushima as a result of the quake and its subsequent tsunami.          The four Indonesian workers were Dwi Astuti from Klaten district, Central Java; Puspawati from Mimika Baru, West Papua; Harlina Semi from Panakkukang, Makassar; and Yulianti from Senapelan, Pekanbaru, Riu province.      (T.A014/A/H-NG/A014) 15-03-2011 01:13