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Failed pilgrims 'victims of fraud’, governor says

Andi Hajramurni (The Jakarta Post)
Makassar, South Sulawesi
Mon, September 5, 2016

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Failed pilgrims 'victims of fraud’, governor says Safe return -- Dozens of aspiring haj pilgrims from South Sulawesi arrive at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar on Sunday. They are part of 168 pilgrims returning from the Philippines with help from the Indonesian Embassy in Manila. (thejakartapost.com/Andi Hajramurni)

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outh Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo has supported the central government’s view that 177 aspiring haj pilgrims from Indonesian arrested in Manila in possession of fake documents were victims rather than perpetrators of fraud.

“They are victims of fraud,” he said on Sunday.

The governor made the statement as he welcomed 110 of the unsuccessful pilgrims at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar. Ninety-four of them are from South Sulawesi, 15 from Kalimantan and one from West Sulawesi.

They are part of 168 pilgrims returned home by the Indonesian Embassy in Manila on Sunday. The remaining 58 pilgrims were flown to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

(Read also : Unsuccessful haj pilgrims return home from Philippines)

“Our people are not guilty in this case. It is our responsibility, because, as the government, we could not take good care of them all. They just wanted to perform their religious duty,” said Syahrul.

Coming home -- Haj pilgrims from South Sulawesi arrive at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar on Sunday. They are part of 177 unsuccessful haj pilgrims arrested by Philippine authorities over fake passports.(thejakartapost.com/Andi Hajramurni)

One of the pilgrims, Farida Fatmawati, said they had applied for the haj via Aulad Amin, a Makassar-based travel agent. She said Aulad Amin had dispatched around 200 Indonesian haj pilgrims via Manila this year, around half of whom had departed earlier and were already in Mecca.

Aulad Amin reportedly dispatched Indonesian haj pilgrims to Mecca via the Philippines twice. “Last year, around 100 people were dispatched from Manila, and their haj pilgrimage ran smoothly. This year, there should be 200 people dispatched to Mecca, but half of them failed to depart,” said Farida.

The Foreign Ministry’s consular protocol officer Bunyan Saptomo confirmed that several Indonesian haj pilgrims travelling through the Philippines had arrived in Mecca, but said he could not give an exact number. (ebf)

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