Nepalis in West Asia safe: MoFA

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 4: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) updated on Tuesday that Nepalis working or residing in West Asia are safe.

"Nepalis currently living in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon and Bahrain remain safe as of now," Ram Kaji Khadka, Joint Secretary and Head of the Central Asia, West Asia and Africa Division at the MoFA, said at a press conference. 

He said that the Nepali missions in the Gulf countries have been continuously updating the situation as well as the status of Nepali nationals in their respective jurisdictions. 

Nepali missions in ten West Asian locations — Tel Aviv, Doha, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Manama, Kuwait City, Muscat, Cairo and Jeddah, along with the Consulate General in Dubai — have been instructed to send regular 'situation analysis reports', on the basis of which the Ministry is coordinating its response.

Likewise, the governments in those countries are also giving high priority to the safety of foreign nationals. 

Meanwhile, following ministerial-level decision, an Emergency Response Team has been formed under the coordination of the Foreign Secretary including representatives from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance, Law, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Education, Labour, Employment and Social Security, as well as the Department of Foreign Employment, the Department of Immigration, the Department of Consular Services and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

One Nepali citizen, Diwas Shrestha from Gorkha, was killed in an attack in a residential area in the UAE. Khadka said that the process of repatriating his body will be initiated once the situation becomes favourable. 

More than 100 Nepalis in transit in Dubai are being accommodated in hotels. The Consulate General of Nepal there is coordinating with the concerned agencies to support them. 

Likewise, 150 Nepalis working in Kurdistan have been moved to safer locations. About 90 Nepalis who travelled via Kuwait in transit are staying in hotels. 

The MoFA updated that according to the report from the Embassy of Nepal in Israel, all Nepalis there remain safe and are in regular contact with the embassy. There have been no new attacks recently. 

"Although reports indicate that 11 people have died and 58 have been injured in areas near Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beth Shemesh, no Nepalis have been affected," said Khadka. 

Likewise, Nepalis in Qatar are safe. But as Qatar’s airspace remains closed, Nepalis in transit have been accommodated in hotels by the respective airlines.

The Consulate General of Nepal in Jeddah reported that 36 Nepali pilgrims who had travelled for Umrah have had their flights cancelled. The MoFA is coordinating with the airlines and travel agencies to arrange alternative means for their return to Nepal.

Similarly, the Nepali Missions in Riyadh of Saudi Arabia, Muscat of Oman, and Cairo of Egypt also updated that Nepalis are safe there as well as in Jordan and Lebanon. 

Director General of the Department of Consular Services (DoCS) Drupada Sapkota has prepared an online registration platform to collect details for possible rescue or emergency assistance to Nepali citizens. She clarified that the Ministry will play a coordinating role in facilitating repatriation and other necessary support if required.

"We are coordinating with the Department of Passports to share information regarding the Nepalis abroad," she said. "We aim to collect the whereabouts of Nepali citizens." 

The portal will also collect the contact numbers of the family members or relatives of Nepalis living abroad which will help to establish immediate contact with them in case of emergencies.

According to Sapkota, the DoCS will closely work with the Emergency Response Team to effectively handle the support or rescue work, if needed.