Jakarta. Indonesia has readied a plan B to make sure that its citizens in Venezuela are safe and sound, according to a senior diplomat, as US President Donald Trump threatens a second strike on the oil-rich country.

The now-ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's arrest by the US has been taking over the global news cycle. According to Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang, all 37 Indonesians in Venezuela are safe. She said that the situation in Venezuela had improved, citing no panic buying and the reopening of gas stations in the South American country.

“The Foreign Ministry, along with the Indonesian Embassy in Caracas, has developed a contingency plan regarding the security situation in Venezuela,” Yvonne said. 

“We will execute the plan if necessary based on how things develop. We urge Indonesian citizens to remain alert.” 

The diplomat did not go into details on this contingency plan, including whether this would ultimately lead to evacuations. Trump recently admitted that he would consider another military assault on Venezuela if its government refuses to cooperate with the US. Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has served as the acting leader since Maduro’s overthrow.

“If they don’t behave, we will do a second strike,” Trump revealed to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday local time. 

Asked if this would mean deployment of US troops on the ground for peacekeeping, Trump said that it would depend “on what happens … [and] a little bit on the new administration.”

The international arm of the Indonesian oil giant Pertamina has stated that its oil assets in Venezuela did not suffer any impact from the US strike. Pertamina Internasional Eksplorasi dan Produksi (PIEP) is the majority shareholder in the Paris-based Maurel & Prom (M&P), which operates Venezuela’s Urdaneta Oeste oil field. 

Indonesian senior minister Airlangga Hartarto told the press on Monday that the government would continue to “keep an eye on the situation”. Airlangga added that the Venezuela crisis had little effect on oil prices over the past few days, as “they still relatively low at around $63 per barrel”. Venezuela sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves, reaching over 300 million barrels. 

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