Acehnese pilgrims anxious about families
Acehnese pilgrims anxious about families
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Acehnese haj pilgrims may want their trip to Mecca to conclude as
soon as possible so they can rush home to find their families.
Some Acehnese pilgrims who have just arrived in Saudi Arabia
said they could not reach their husband, wife, children or
relatives at home in the province that was ravaged by an
earthquake and tidal waves. More than 30,000 people have been
confirmed dead in the disaster that swept the province on Sunday,
while tens of thousands more are still missing.
"I'm very worried about the fate of my family as our home lies
just 50 meters from the coast. My house was swamped by the
tsunami," Kartini of Ulele district in Banda Aceh told Antara in
Mecca.
She had left her husband Hasballah and four children behind.
The tidal waves destroyed towns on the coast of Aceh, with
Banda Aceh among the hardest hit by the disaster. As of Thursday
the death toll in the provincial capital reached 9,000. The
disaster has paralyzed telecommunication lines there.
Kartini was among the first Indonesian pilgrims who arrived in
Saudi Arabia last week.
"My two daughters and grandchildren came to my house to see me
off. I haven't be able to reach them as well as my eldest son who
lives in Sabang," Kartini sobbed.
Her second son lives in Cilandak, South Jakarta, which is
thousands of miles away from the devastated province.
"Please tell my second son to find out whether his siblings in
Aceh are okay and inform me as soon as possible," Kartini said.
Separately, Hassanuddin and his wife were still in a state of
shock after hearing about the disaster. They were trying to
contact their two children in Banda Aceh, but to no avail.
"We are eager to talk to them. Our relatives have taken refuge
to Medan," Hassanuddin said. Medan is the capital of neighboring
province North Sumatra.
Around 200,000 Indonesians will flock to Saudi Arabia for the
annual pilgrimage, which will peak on Jan. 21.
The disaster has forced a delay in the departure of tens of
thousands of other Acehnese haj pilgrims.
"We are waiting for confirmation from Jakarta following the
disaster in Banda Aceh," Garuda Indonesia flag carrier General
Manager Hadi Syahrean told Antara in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
He asserted, however, the disaster in Aceh and North Sumatra
would not disturb flight schedules of pilgrims from other
provinces.
Garuda is deploying 17 aircraft to make 298 flights to
transport the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives will send a team of 15
legislators to Saudi Arabia to monitor the services provided for
Indonesian haj pilgrims.
They will travel for 10 days starting from Jan. 15, while the
country will make all efforts to help the survivors of the
disaster.
Among the Saudi Arabia-bound lawmakers are deputy House
speaker Zaenal Maarif of the Star Reform Party (PBR), Dedi
Djamaluddin of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Taufikurrahman
Saleh of the National Awakening Party (PKB), Fahri Hamzah of the
Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Marissa Haque of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Tosari Widjaja of the
United Development Party (PPP) and Anwar Arifin of Golkar.