REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CAIRO - Indonesia had started evacuating its citizens in Syria due to the current political crisis in the Middle Eastern country, Indonesian ambassador to Lebanon, Dimas Samodra Rum, said on Thursday.

"According to information from the embassy in Damascus, evacuation of our citizens from Syria to Indonesia has been ongoing," he explained, as Indonesian ambassador in Damascus was unreachable. 

The head of information, social and culture of the Indonesian embassy in Ankara, Turkey, Syria`s neighbor in the north, also confirmed the information about the evacuation. 

Dimas Samodra said the evacuation was done twice a month to Indonesia with the number of evacuees varying from one evacuation to another. He did not know how many Indonesian citizens were still left in Syria but students had been among the evacuees.

He said although some countries had shut down their embassies in Syria the Indonesian embassy there was still conducting its services. Last February the embassy asked all Indonesian citizens in Syria to register their names to the embassy with regard to the evacuation plan.

"The Indonesian government plans to return Indonesian citizens working or studying in Syria. In connection with it all citizens wishing to return are requested to register themselves with the embassy," it said in the statement.

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