Pilgrims demand better services<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher said
\nyesterday that most of the 200,000 Indonesian haj pilgrims going
\nto Saudi Arabia this year were poor people in need of better
\ngovernment service and protection.<\/p>\n
\"Three quarters of the pilgrims are not rich. They are poor,
\ncommon people like farmers, whom the government should serve
\nwell,\" Tarmizi told reporters after meeting President Soeharto
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
The government has trained almost 3,000 people to act as
\nguides for the pilgrims, and 500 doctors and 1,000 paramedics,
\nincluding 75 medical specialists, to be posted to the health
\nclinics in Mecca, Medina and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
\"President Soeharto has instructed us that we have to provide
\nprompt services so the pilgrims feel safe and protected,\"
\nTarmizi said.<\/p>\n
He was accompanied by Minister of Health Sujudi and Minister
\nof Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto, whose ministries and
\npersonnel are also involved in the haj operation.<\/p>\n
Tarmizi said that all agencies involved in this year's haj
\noperation had been cooperating well thus far, ensuring that
\nprocedures such as the issuance of immigration documents, had
\ngone well. All the pilgrims have already received their passports
\nand visas, according to Tarmizi.<\/p>\n
Last year's operation was marked by chaos due to, among other
\nthings, visas being issued late.<\/p>\n
The first of 474 batches of pilgrims will leave for Saudi
\nArabia on March 15, while the last group departs on April 10. The
\nmassive operation to bring home the pilgrims is to begin on April
\n22 and end on May 18, according to Haryanto.<\/p>\n
The pilgrims will embark from six airports. They are Halim
\nPerdanakusumah airport in Jakarta; Juanda in Surabaya, East Java;
\nHasanuddin in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi; Polonia in Medan,
\nNorth Sumatra; Sepinggan in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; and the
\nnewly inaugurated Adisumarmo airport in Surakarta, Central Java.<\/p>\n
The country's flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, is to deploy 24
\njets to transport the pilgrims. They are 11 Boeing B-747s, two B-
\n767s, four MD-11s and seven DC-10s.<\/p>\n
Nineteen of the jets are leased from foreign airlines. The
\nforeign companies include Cors Air, Air Canada, Singapore
\nAirlines, Air Liberty, Challenge Air, Britannia, OAM France,
\nWorld Airways, Kuwait Airways and Tower Air of the United States.<\/p>\n
This year Garuda plans to transport 63 groups of pilgrims from
\nAdisumarmo airport, 36 groups from Polonia airport, 189 groups
\nfrom Halim Perdanakusumah, 86 groups from Juanda, 61 groups from
\nHasanuddin, and 39 groups from Sepinggan.<\/p>\n
\"We have asked (President Soeharto's) permission to deploy
\naircraft made before 1980. The President had previously
\ninstructed us to use only newer aircraft ... but because (newer
\naircraft) are difficult to get, there will be a 1979-made
\naircraft and one made in 1978, but they will only be used as
\nbackup,\" Haryanto said.<\/p>\n
\"The President has given his permission but stressed that only
\nreliable aircraft must be deployed,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Tarmizi said that 55 percent of the pilgrims are female. He
\nreiterated that they should not proceed with the pilgrimage if
\nthey are pregnant.<\/p>\n
The Saudi Arabian government has ordered that all haj pilgrims
\nbe vaccinated against meningitis, an infection of the brain's
\nmembrane. \"Pregnant women are not allowed to receive this
\nvaccination,\" Sujudi said. (swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pilgrims-demand-better-services-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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