100 Evacuees to Arrive in Jakarta from Japan This Evening

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A Garuda airplane carrying 100 Indonesians who have been evacuated from Sendai and Fukushima, Japan, is expected to arrive at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport this evening at 5.30 pm Indonesia Western Time.

The Indonesian embassy in Tokyo said in a press release received by ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday, the evacuees went to Narita International Airport, Japan, from the Indonesian Republic School (SRIT) in Tokyo at 7 am local time or 9 am Indonesian Western Time. The Garuda airplane is scheduled to leave Narita International Airport at 12 Tokyo time.

Earlier, on Monday, Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Muhammad Lutfi said 104 people had been evacuated from Sendai to Tokyo. Ambassador Lutfi and the Indonesian Nationals Protection team of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry met with the evacuees on Monday and decided to bring them back to Indonesia on Tuesday.

They wanted to be returned to Indonesia because most of them had been psychologically traumatic after the quake and tsunami that hit the country, especially women and children, the Ambassador said.