Vietnamese community in Egypt may be evacuated
The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt is making emergency plans to protect the safety of the Vietnamese community in the wake of escalating violence in the country.
In the weeks since the Egyptian army deposed president Mohamed Morsi, fierce clashes have taken place between armed forces and the Muslim Brotherhood, who are demanding Morsi’s reinstatement.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Dao Thanh Chung said that the Foreign Ministry has directed the embassy to be prepared to begin evacuations if required.
Currently, 79 Vietnamese citizens are working and studying in Egypt, including 24 public servants and their accompanying family members.
With the bloodshed spreading across Cairo and many other major cities, the embassy has held meetings with representative missions of Vietnamese agencies in Egypt, including the bureaus of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and Radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV), about measures to ensure safety of the Vietnamese community.
Commenting on the ongoing crisis, Chung said the situation remains unpredictable and is likely to get worse. He said compromise looked a long way off and the risk of the death toll rising is high.
According to Egyptian authorities, as of August 15, some 525 people were killed and 3,717 others injured in clashes across the country.