TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government has not decided to evacuate Indonesians living in North Korea. The North Korean government is giving a safety guarantee for Indonesian citizens in the country only until April 10, 2013.
"At this stage we have not received information that prompts us to evacuate," the President’s special staffer for international relations, Teuku Faiza, said on Tuesday, April 9.
According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is intensively communicating with Indonesian representatives in North Korea. Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa is also said to provide direct information to President Yudhoyono periodically on the condition and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
"The decision will be taken following feedback obtained from our representatives there," he said.
The President, Faiza said, has given instructions to draw up a contingency plan if the country's representatives in North Korea believe the situation there is precarious and requires more progressive action.
On April 5 and 7, the North Korean Army and Foreign Ministry briefed foreign representatives in the country. The North Korean government disclosed the country's current situation and said that after April 10 it will no longer guarantee the safety of diplomats.
FRANSISCO ROSARIANS