MATARAM, RAKYAT NEWS – Eight residents from West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), who were evacuated from Syria, are scheduled to return to their home region on Sunday, December 15.

I Gede Putu Aryadi, the head of NTB’s Manpower and Transmigration Office (Disnakertrans), confirmed the return of the NTB citizens. “These are photos of Indonesian nationals evacuated from Syria, and it turns out that eight of them are from NTB. They are scheduled to arrive in Lombok by midday Sunday, and we will pick them up at the airport and take them directly to their homes,” he said in a text message from Mataram on Friday.

All eight of the repatriated individuals are women, with the majority hailing from Sumbawa and Central Lombok regencies. “These residents will soon be reunited with their families, and we are prepared to assist them every step of the way,” Aryadi added.

“These eight NTB residents, who have already been evacuated from Syria, are currently at the NTB Liaison Office in Jakarta,” Aryadi continued. This is part of a coordinated effort to ensure their safe return following the ongoing unrest in Syria.

The evacuation is part of a broader effort involving 37 Indonesian nationals who returned in the first wave from Syria. This group consisted of 35 citizens and two accompanying staff members from the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus. They safely arrived in Indonesia via three separate flights.

Prior to their departure, the Indonesian nationals were transported overland from Damascus to Beirut on December 10, 2024, before being flown to Jakarta. The Indonesian government is preparing for a second wave of evacuations, with 97 more citizens expressing their willingness to return.

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