Nuclear Meltdown

Indonesia ready to evacuate nationals from Japan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-03-28 14:48

JAKARTA - Indonesia is ready to evacuate citizens from 50-100 kilometers of Japan's radioactive zone around Fukushima nuclear reactor, a minister said here on Monday.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told a parliamentary hearing that citizen evacuation from 50 kilometers of the radioactive zone has been done.

"We are ready to evacuate our citizens living in 50-100 kilometers of radioactive zone if situation demands it," said Natalegawa.

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He also said that Indonesia's most important program in Japan at the moment is citizen protection.

"We have relocated them to Tokyo and Jakarta. To citizens who are back to Jakarta, we provide support for them during in Jakarta and their way back to Japan," said Natalegawa.

He also said that Indonesia had provided humanitarian aid to Japan, which is valued at $2 million, besides 10,000 blankets.

"We also sent 15 people of a quick response team to Japan and they completed their work on Sunday," said Natalegawa.

According to Marty, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), it is the first time Indonesia cooperates with other member states in providing protection to their citizens.

"In Japan, ASEAN helped relocate citizens of Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos and Nepal. That was a form of our concern by providing aid to other countries," he said.