NTB Calls For Faster Evacuation Of TKI In Syria

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, Aug 6 (ANTARA) - The Government of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province has urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to speed up the evacuation of Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) in Syria. "Many of the Indonesian migrant workers in Syria are from West Nusa Tenggara," NTB government spokesman Muhammad Nur said here on Monday. "The evacuation of Indonesian migrant workers in Syria is the task of the state, so the Foreign Affairs ministry should speed it up whether or not it is asked to do so," he added. Nur stated that the NTB provincial government did not need to send a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expedite the evacuation of the province`s workers trapped in Syria, because �it is the responsibility of the ministry anyway�. However, he said the local government coordinated with officials from the Foreign Affairs ministry and other related parties, such as the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) and Indonesian Embassy in Syria. "We coordinate to gather information about the fate of migrant workers from West Nusa Tenggara in Syria, as well as to know about the schedule of evacuation," Nur explained. Meanwhile, NTB Manpower and Transmigration Office spokesman Mokhlis pointed out that the provincial government had been pushing for the quick evacuation of Indonesian migrant workers in Syria ever since the conflict broke out in the Arabic country. Mokhlis said at least 600 workers, including 23 from NTB, in Syria were waiting to be repatriated to Indonesia, but the time and schedule remained uncertain. "Some NTB workers were repatriated a few days ago, but there are 23 more left in Syria and we do not know when they will be sent back," he added. According to the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, there are 12,189 Indonesian migrant workers in Syria.