Lebanon Helps Indonesians In Evacuation Process From Syria

Cairo, Jan 10 (ANTARA) - Close to 300 Indonesians have been evacuated from Syria and sent to the Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. More than 1,000 people have been repatriated to Indonesia. "Citizens of Indonesia who have been evacuated from Syria and sent to the Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, will be repatriated to Indonesia," said the Beirut Embassy`s Chief Executive of Economic, Social and Cultural Functions, Ahmad Syofian, on January 9. The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry has sent a technical team to Beirut to accelerate the repatriation process. Apart from accelerating the repatriation process, the technical team will ensure that the rights of migrant workers are taken care of by their employers, said Syofian. The government�s efforts to evacuate its citizens from troubled countries has been slow; in fact, the evacuation process has been ongoing for two years, said the Ambassador to Lebanon, Dimas Samudra Rum. According to him, the process has been slow because the government has to ensure that Indonesian workers� rights have been taken care of before they are repatriated to Indonesia. "The government can send all the citizens to Indonesia, but it has to ensure that the workers� rights are taken care of. These rights include their income and other benefits," Dimas said. According to Dimas, many workers give their income to their employers, and they take their income after their contract is over. "We have noticed that not all employers are paying the income of their employees. Settlement of wages takes time, especially in the midst of the Syrian political turmoil," said Dimas. Meanwhile, the Lebanese government is supporting Indonesia by helping the country in the evacuation process. The Lebanese government is also giving free visas to Indonesians. Dimas and the government of Indonesia are grateful to the Lebanese authorities.