Indonesian Govt Continues to Monitor Citizens in Taiwan, Japan After Strong Earthquake

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government continues to monitor the situation in Taiwan and Japan after a magnitude 7.2  earthquake shook the Hualien region of eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The ministry confirmed that no Indonesian citizens were victims in the quake, the strongest in Taiwan in 25 years. The quake prompted a tsunami advisory for southern Japan and the Philippines, which was later lifted.

Taiwan's fire department said one person is suspected to have been crushed to death by a rock at the epicenter of the quake, in the sparsely populated eastern mountainous region of Hualien, and more than 50 people were injured.

At least 26 buildings collapsed, more than half of them in Hualien, with about 20 people trapped and rescue efforts ongoing, it said.

The quake had a depth of 15.5 km, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Agency.

The Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo and the Indonesian Trade and Economic Office (KDEI) in Taipei immediately coordinated with local authorities and Indonesian communities in the affected areas after the earthquake occurred, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

"So far, there is no information on Indonesian citizens who are victims of the earthquake or tsunami," the ministry's Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection Judha Nugraha said in a text message to the media on Wednesday.

"The Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo and KDEI will continue to monitor the situation regarding the impact of the earthquake on the Indonesian people, including urging them to be careful about the aftershocks," he said.

There are about 3,343 Indonesian nationals in Hualien, most of whom are Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI), according to data obtained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Taiwan immigration authorities. Meanwhile, there are a total of 284,751 Indonesian citizens in Taiwan. 

In Japan, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo recorded 1,854 Indonesians in Okinawa, according to self-report data. Most of these Indonesians work as crew members, interns, and Specified Skilled Workers (SSW).

The Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo has set up hotline contacts at +818035068612 and +818049407419. Meanwhile, KDEI Taipei can be contacted via WhatsApp messaging application at +88690132000 and +886987587000.

NABIILA AZZAHRA A. | CHANNEL NEWS ASIA

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