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.