First deaths recorded on haj pilgrimage

JAKARTA (JP): The first two deaths of Indonesian haj pilgrims this year have been reported. One was in Medinah, Saudi Arabia, and the other on the flight to Jeddah.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs said the first was identified as 57-year-old Encah bin Taryah of Tasikmalaya in West Java. He died in Nabawi Mosque in Medinah Sunday and his body was buried in Baqi Cemetery in Medinah.

The second was Sitti Hafsah binti La Nusu, 49, of Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi. She died on the plane before it landed at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah. She was buried in Rawa Cemetery in Jeddah.

Both died of heart failure, the ministry's public relations office said. The government launched its massive operation to send nearly 202,000 Indonesians on the haj pilgrimage on Friday.

Last year, 664 of the nearly 200,000 Indonesian pilgrims died, mostly of heart and lung diseases.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs, which coordinates the massive operation, said it was tightening the medical check-ups pilgrims had to go through before being allowed to depart.

At Pondok Gede haj dormitory in East Jakarta, where all pilgrims leaving from Jakarta must spend one night before flying to Saudi Arabia, one man and one woman were declared unfit to undertake the journey.

One of them, 35-year old Yayah binti Okomuhtar, was found to have leukemia, Antara reported.

The news agency did not disclose the cause of death of the man, identified as 38-year old Sunarto.

Both Yayah and Sunarto were from West Java and were originally scheduled to depart last Friday.

Sudirman, an officer at the dormitory said the medical check- up was for the pilgrims' own good.

"We know they all want to go on the pilgrimage, but we have to make sure that they're in good health."

"A pilgrimage is no jaunt. One has to be ready both physically and mentally," he added.

The government has also set up clinics for Indonesian pilgrims in the holy land, should they need medical services.

A 24-hour clinic has been opened at King Abdul Aziz airport. It is staffed by 18 medical personnel.

"The government has enough medicine and medical equipment to make sure that our pilgrims will be in good health," Praptono Zamzam, the head of the ministry's haj section said.

One pilgrim requiring particular attention will be 88-year-old Paku Alam VIII, currently governor of Yogyakarta, who is going on the pilgrimage for the first time.

Paku Alam will be accompanied by a private doctor and nurse, one of his sons Wijoyokusumo was quoted recently as saying by Antara. (emf)