Saudi Arabia to expedite haj visa processing

JAKARTA (JP): The Saudi Arabian government has agreed to process visa applications for next year's haj in Ujungpandang and Surabaya, as well as Jakarta, in order to prevent a repeat of last season's chaotic haj operation.

Previously, the visas were processed only in the Saudi Arabian embassy in Jakarta.

Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher yesterday said the new arrangement should help reduce documentation processing problems.

Saudi Arabia, however, has no plan to open consulates. Instead it will send officials to process visa applications at the two new embarkation points. Besides Jakarta, Surabaya and Ujungpandang, Indonesian pilgrims leave from Medan, Surakarta and Balikpapan.

Indonesia will hold its haj operation from March 14 to May 18 next year.

Documentation and visa problems threw off flight schedules during the last haj season earlier this year. Apart from canceled and delayed flights, the operation was marred by demonstrations by pilgrims who failed to leave on schedule. One prospective pilgrim, who twice failed to make it to the Holy Land, killed himself.

The government blamed the situation on a lack of cooperation between the central office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and other institutions, including the Saudi Arabian embassy.

Apart from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, eight other institutions are involved in the operation: the State Secretariat, the ministries of foreign affairs, justice, health, defense and security, home affairs, transportation and tourism, and telecommunication. (swe)