Acehnese pilgrims anxious about families<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Acehnese haj pilgrims may want their trip to Mecca to conclude as
\nsoon as possible so they can rush home to find their families.<\/p>\n
Some Acehnese pilgrims who have just arrived in Saudi Arabia
\nsaid they could not reach their husband, wife, children or
\nrelatives at home in the province that was ravaged by an
\nearthquake and tidal waves. More than 30,000 people have been
\nconfirmed dead in the disaster that swept the province on Sunday,
\nwhile tens of thousands more are still missing.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very worried about the fate of my family as our home lies
\njust 50 meters from the coast. My house was swamped by the
\ntsunami,\" Kartini of Ulele district in Banda Aceh told Antara in
\nMecca.<\/p>\n
She had left her husband Hasballah and four children behind.<\/p>\n
The tidal waves destroyed towns on the coast of Aceh, with
\nBanda Aceh among the hardest hit by the disaster. As of Thursday
\nthe death toll in the provincial capital reached 9,000. The
\ndisaster has paralyzed telecommunication lines there.<\/p>\n
Kartini was among the first Indonesian pilgrims who arrived in
\nSaudi Arabia last week.<\/p>\n
\"My two daughters and grandchildren came to my house to see me
\noff. I haven't be able to reach them as well as my eldest son who
\nlives in Sabang,\" Kartini sobbed.<\/p>\n
Her second son lives in Cilandak, South Jakarta, which is
\nthousands of miles away from the devastated province.<\/p>\n
\"Please tell my second son to find out whether his siblings in
\nAceh are okay and inform me as soon as possible,\" Kartini said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Hassanuddin and his wife were still in a state of
\nshock after hearing about the disaster. They were trying to
\ncontact their two children in Banda Aceh, but to no avail.<\/p>\n
\"We are eager to talk to them. Our relatives have taken refuge
\nto Medan,\" Hassanuddin said. Medan is the capital of neighboring
\nprovince North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Around 200,000 Indonesians will flock to Saudi Arabia for the
\nannual pilgrimage, which will peak on Jan. 21.<\/p>\n
The disaster has forced a delay in the departure of tens of
\nthousands of other Acehnese haj pilgrims.<\/p>\n
\"We are waiting for confirmation from Jakarta following the
\ndisaster in Banda Aceh,\" Garuda Indonesia flag carrier General
\nManager Hadi Syahrean told Antara in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
He asserted, however, the disaster in Aceh and North Sumatra
\nwould not disturb flight schedules of pilgrims from other
\nprovinces.<\/p>\n
Garuda is deploying 17 aircraft to make 298 flights to
\ntransport the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives will send a team of 15
\nlegislators to Saudi Arabia to monitor the services provided for
\nIndonesian haj pilgrims.<\/p>\n
They will travel for 10 days starting from Jan. 15, while the
\ncountry will make all efforts to help the survivors of the
\ndisaster.<\/p>\n
Among the Saudi Arabia-bound lawmakers are deputy House
\nspeaker Zaenal Maarif of the Star Reform Party (PBR), Dedi
\nDjamaluddin of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Taufikurrahman
\nSaleh of the National Awakening Party (PKB), Fahri Hamzah of the
\nProsperous Justice Party (PKS), Marissa Haque of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Tosari Widjaja of the
\nUnited Development Party (PPP) and Anwar Arifin of Golkar.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehnese-pilgrims-anxious-about-families-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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