Embassy takes measures to protect Vietnamese citizens in eSwatini
Pretoria (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Van Loi said the
Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa cum eSwatini has been closely monitoring the
situation in eSwatini and actively undertaking measures to protect Vietnamese citizens in the country.
According
to Loi, there are two Vietnamese citizens residing in eSwatini (formally known
as Swaziland), one of who is in the capital Mbabane – an area where
violent protest activities are taking place.
The
ambassador had talked on the phone with the citizens in eSwatini to give them encouragement and instruct them on necessary measures
to ensure their safety.
He
affirmed that the embassy would roll out measures to protect citizens based on the actual situation of the area and of the citizens. The ambassador suggested
that the two Vietnamese citizens in eSwatini regularly keep in touch with the embassy
to receive the necessary support.
The two citizens are so far safe from the ongoing protest in the kingdom.
The
protests in eSwatini began in May when students and teachers rallied against
the killing of Thabani Nkomonye, a law student at the University of Eswatini
after being arrested by police. The protests continued to spread to cities and
rural towns with demands for political reform in the country.
Peaceful protests turned violent with the military’s crackdown on June 29.
In
addition, there was looting and destruction of property targeting Pick n Pay,
Shoprite supermarket chains, some government agencies and ATMs..
Reports on casualties in the protests are varied, with the Southern African Development Community-SADC announcing at least one death but opposition groups reporting as many as 40 killed and more than 150 injured./.