More haj pilgrims leave the country

More haj pilgrims leave the country

JAKARTA (JP): At least 4,571 haj pilgrims left Medan, Ujung
Pandang and Dili for Saudi Arabia yesterday in one of the
government's largest haj operations.

They followed a group that left the same airport over the
weekend.

West Sumatra sent 3,012 pilgrims and 39 officials and medical
personnel. The number of pilgrims rose by 48 percent, Yulifar,
spokesman for the local haj committee, told the Antara news
agency yesterday.

Haj pilgrims from West Sumatra used Medan's Polonia airport as
their embarkation point. The age of the pilgrims, Yulifar said,
varied from 10 to 85 years.

Yesterday, Medan also sent some 358 pilgrims from Bengkulu.
Spokesman for the Bengkulu haj committee Razie Jachya said the
economic development in the province has boosted the number of
pilgrims this year.

Last year, he said, Bengkulu dispatched 224 people to the Holy
Land.

Meanwhile, some 30 pilgrims from East Timor, wearing
traditional clothes, yesterday left Dili for Jakarta from where
they will proceed to Mecca.

Some of the East Timorese were winners of family planning
awards. Their trip is sponsored by the National Family Planning
Board (BKKBN).

In Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, 1,201 pilgrims were flown
to Mecca yesterday. The figure is a 14-percent increase from last
year.

A total of 300 flights will be leaving from Halim
Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta, Polonia airport in Medan,
Juanda airport in Surabaya and Hasanuddin Airport in Ujung
Pandang within the next four weeks. (prs)