Saudi Arabia denies deportation plans<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Saudi Arabia Ambassador Abdullah Abdulrahman
\nAlim gave assurances yesterday that his government will not
\narrest or deport Indonesians planning to perform the haj
\npilgrimage, whether they have been officially approved or not.<\/p>\n
"I want to calm the people and dispel any lingering doubts.
\nThe Saudi Arabia Kingdom has never and will not deport any
\npilgrims," Abdullah told reporters. "There has never been any
\narrest of Indonesian pilgrims or refusal to enter Saudi Arabia so
\nlong as they have a proper visa."<\/p>\n
The ambassador made the remark amidst suggestions, by
\nIndonesian officials, that Riyadh was clamping down on
\nIndonesians who are making the haj pilgrimage this year through
\nunlicensed tour operators.<\/p>\n
An estimated 14,000 Indonesians are believed to have booked
\ntheir tour this way, boosting the number of Indonesian pilgrims
\nto over 170,000 including the 157,000 who are traveling on the
\ngovernment-sponsored tour.<\/p>\n
The privately-organized pilgrims are traveling on ordinary
\ngreen passports. Those traveling under the government program are
\nissued special brown passports.<\/p>\n
Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher on his return from
\nRiyadh last week said the Saudi authorities have asked the
\nIndonesian government to bring the green passport pilgrims under
\ncontrol because the size of the Indonesian contingent may exceed
\nthe quota of 160,000 pilgrims allocated to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Tarmizi claimed these green passport pilgrims could face
\narrest and deportations on arrival.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the minister asked immigration to stop any
\nIndonesian bound for Saudi Arabia who was not traveling on a
\nbrown passports.<\/p>\n
His request was put into effect immediately.<\/p>\n
Nearly 200 Indonesians, who mostly intend to work in Saudi
\nArabia, were prevented from leaving the country on Monday night.
\nA Garuda Indonesia plane which was to carry them was canceled.<\/p>\n
Twenty-seven other Indonesians who were about to board an Air
\nJordan plane on the same night, and a number of others who were
\nbooked on Saudia airline were also told that they could not leave
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
Director General of Immigration Roni Sikap Sinuraya explained
\nyesterday that his staff was under strict orders to stop anyone
\nleaving for Saudi Arabia unless they had obtained a
\nrecommendation from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.<\/p>\n
Minister Tarmizi yesterday called another press conference to
\nexplain the latest turn of events.<\/p>\n
He said that he had given the green light to some of those
\ntravelers by yesterday afternoon after ascertaining that they
\nwere genuine workers.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Abdullah during a separate meeting with reporters
\nsaid that his embassy has never rejected a visa application by an
\nIndonesian as long as the requirements of holding a return ticket
\nand proof of sufficient funds was met.<\/p>\n
The embassy never distinguishes the color of passports and the
\nonly criteria it uses during the haj season is the quota of
\n160,000 pilgrims, he said. "Our government cannot reject anyone
\nfrom entering the country when they have the haj visa," said the
\nambassador.<\/p>\n
"Our task is in issuing the visa," he said. "Whether or not
\nthese pilgrims eventually leave Indonesia is the affair of the
\nIndonesian government," he said.<\/p>\n
Tarmizi admitted yesterday that the government was concerned
\nthat the official Indonesian quota might be taken up by non-
\ngovernment pilgrims, denying those traveling under the
\ngovernment-sponsored programs.<\/p>\n
He said the government had asked that the Saudi embassy in
\nSingapore stop issuing haj visas to Indonesian passport holders,
\nbecause it is believed that some 10,000 of the green passport
\npilgrims are applying their visas there.<\/p>\n
The ambassador also told reporters that there is a regulation
\nthat citizens of Indonesia can obtain visas only from the embassy
\nin Jakarta. He added that it is impossible for Indonesians to get
\na haj visa in Singapore.<\/p>\n
He said that exceptions are made for Indonesians studying
\noverseas or Indonesian diplomats. They would be issued visas to
\nperform the pilgrimage and they would not affect the Indonesian
\nquota, he added. (01)<\/p>",
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