Indonesia to launch massive haj operation today

Indonesia to launch massive haj operation today

JAKARTA (JP): Four wide-bodied jets will leave almost
simultaneously from Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya and Ujungpandang
this morning, marking the start of the massive operation to send
more than 157,000 people for the haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

They will all be flown eventually in 360 different flights
between today and May 14.

This is the largest haj contingent Indonesia has ever
dispatched to date, marking a significant jump from the 123,000
sent last year which was also a record.

Garuda Indonesia, the national carrier appointed to fly the
pilgrims, has leased 16 wide-bodied jets for the purpose and has
also assigned two from its own fleet.

The sending off ceremony will be held this morning at the
Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta and besides Minister of
Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher, Minister of Information Harmoko,
who is the Amirul Haj (chief of the contingent), will also be on
hand to bid farewell to the first group.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs, which is coordinating the
entire operation, said that a total of 157,491 people have
registered and paid for the pilgrimage. In addition, 772
officials, airline crew and escorts will also take part, bringing
the total to 158,263 people.

The Indonesian government has secured the accommodation in
Saudi Arabia for a total of 160,000 pilgrims.

The organization of sending the haj pilgrims has become more
complex each year, especially given that their number keep on
rising. The situation has caused an Islamic scholar to liken the
Haj to the U.S.'s Desert Storm military operation when it sent
more than 200,000 troops from various nations to the deserts of
Saudi Arabia to fight the Iraqi forces which were occupying
Kuwait in 1990.

Director General of Air Transportation Sikado, during an
unannounced inspection at the Halim Perdanakusuma airport,
expressed his confidence that there would be no major problems
during the departure. However, he did anticipate that some
problems could occur on the return trip, which is slated to begin
on May 24 through June 22.

The Idul Adha day, or the Sacrifice Day which is the peak of
the haj pilgrimage, is slated to fall on May 21 according to
Indonesian calendar. However, the final decision must await the
sighting of the moon.

Sikado said there could be problems specially in the beginning
of the return operation since people from various nations will
all flock into the King Abdul Aziz airport and there could be
massive congestion as there was in previous years.

The Saudi government however has agreed to allocate one gate
at the airport for the Indonesian contingent given the huge size
of the delegation, he said.

He also warned the pilgrims that the Garuda officials are
under strict orders to enforce the maximum luggage allowance and
will not tolerate anything in excess of the 30 kilogram allowed
for each pilgrim.

If pilgrims insist on carrying more, they would have to be
sent by ship and they will have to pay the costs, he said. He
recalled that the excess luggage issue was one of the factors
that caused delays in the past.

Meanwhile, Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher warned
yesterday that the government would clamp down hard on travel
agents who have organized their own haj pilgrimage tours and said
that people who joined in these tours are liable for deportation
when they reach Saudi Arabia.

Tarmizi estimated that some 14,000 people have made their
pilgrimage arrangement through unlicensed agents, some 10,000
flying through Singapore and the rest from Jakarta, flying on
scheduled airlines.

These are the so-called "green passport" pilgrims since they
are traveling on ordinary passports and not the passports issued
specifically for haj pilgrims.

They are different from the VIP version of the pilgrimage
which is organized by licensed tour operators and also using
scheduled airlines.

Tarmizi believed that a major syndicate is behind the "green
passport" pilgrimage tours, and estimated that it was grossing
some Rp 1 billion from its operation.

The Saudi authorities have asked the Indonesian government to
bring these pilgrims under control, he said. (emb)