Akhir 10, 1432, March 15, 2011, SPA -- Prince Khalid Ibn Saud Ibn Khalid, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs said Monday that, following the earthquake that struck the coasts of Japan, two operations rooms have been set up; one at the Saudi Chancellery in Japan, and the second at the Foreign Ministry's headquarters to deal with this disaster in accordance with emergency procedures. Two assembly points, one in Tokyo and the other in Osaka, have been established and accommodation facility and all subsistence requirements have been secured for all Saudi citizens' there. Despite the closure of roads and train stations and difficulty in flying to the quake-affected areas that are threatened by radiations, the Saudi Chancellery has evacuated five students along with their families from these regions to Tokyo by a helicopter. Later, five more Saudi students along with six other Arabs from Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Syria and Libya had also been evacuated, the Prince said. With the suspension of academic studies and the closure of universities as well as the disruption of vital services, the Foreign Ministry started to facilitate the travel of Saudi citizens and hand over to them boarding tickets to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia until the return of normalcy there, he added. "Moreover, accommodation facilities and subsistence requirements also have been secured for those who reached Philippines on their way to Saudi Arabia." Prince Khalid Ibn Saud Ibn Khalid, pointed out that this comes in line with directives of the leadership and constant follow-up from Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In his concluding remarks, he said that the Saudi Embassy in Tokyo is working around the clock to provide care and assistance to all Saudi citizens and facilitate their return to their homeland.
