TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Half of all illegal Indonesian haj pilgrims in Philippines are Malaysian residents
Change Size
Muslim pilgrims perform the Fajr prayer before sunrise, outside the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Sept. 8. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
O
ngoing investigations into the Indonesian haj pilgrims who used the Philippines' haj quota have revealed that approximately half of the 106 people detected posing as Filipinos were residents of Malaysia, an official has confirmed.
"An interesting detail that we can reveal at this time is that around 50 of the haj pilgrims are Indonesian citizens who live in Malaysia," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said during a press briefing on Thursday.
There are 105 people now housed at the facilities of the Indonesian Embassy in Manila while one person has decided to remain at the local detention center to accompany her two sons who are Malaysian citizens, he added.
As of Thursday, Arrmanatha explained that 84 people had been cleared by local authorities and were awaiting an exit permit. Meanwhile, 22 people are required to provide statements in the ongoing investigation conducted by the Philippine government, he went on.
"The hearings began on Monday, so we hope the procedure won't take too long," Arrmanatha said, adding that the Indonesian citizens would be returned to their homes.
The spokesman explained that the 106 illegal haj pilgrims had taken nine haj flights to Saudi Arabia by illegally using unused seats allocated for the Philippines’ haj quota. The group consists of 27 men and 79 women, with the majority aged in average around 41-60, he said.
No details have been provided on their expected return, but Arrmanatha said all procedures would be finalized in the near future. (rin)
