Indonesia Negotiates with Saudi Arabia

Indonesia continues to negotiate so that pilgrims who have already arrived in the Holy Land can still worship. Pilgrims from the country that were unable to depart would be prioritized after the outbreak ends.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Would-be umrah (minor haj) pilgrims from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, fall asleep at the departure terminal of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten, (27/2/2020).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Indonesian government respects the decision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ban the arrival of pilgrims from a number of countries, including Indonesia, to that country amid fears of the COVID-19 outbreak due to a new type of coronavirus. Indonesia continues to negotiate so that pilgrims who have already arrived in the Holy Land can still worship. In addition, pilgrims from the country that were unable to depart would be prioritized after the outbreak ends.

Vice President Ma\'ruf Amin ensured that the government was continuing to negotiate for the benefit of the Indonesian umrah (minor haj) pilgrims, including via the Indonesian Embassy in Saudi Arabia. At least, Indonesian citizens who have arrived in Saudi Arabia are allowed to worship.

Also read : Rights of Pilgrims Must be Protected

"Yes, the negotiations continue, but the authority is in [the hand of] Saudi [Arabia]. That\'s their sovereignty, we respect it," said the Vice President at his office in Jakarta, Friday (28/02/2020).

Previously on Thursday, President Joko Widodo also said the Indonesian government respected the Saudi Arabian government\'s policy, which focuses on health concerns. The same thing was said by Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto. "We respect [the decision] while following developments," he said.

As of 27 February, 2020, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia banned foreigners, including those from Indonesia, from go on umrah. Local authorities also suspended the arrival of holidaymakers.

We respect [the decision] while following developments.

"Based on the criteria of the Saudi Arabia health authorities, the visits to the kingdom on tourist visas from countries confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus have been temporarily stopped," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said as quoted by the official SPA news agency on Thursday.

Presidential spokesman Fadjroel Rachman said there were 2,393 Indonesian pilgrims from 75 umrah agencies who could not depart for Saudi Arabia on 27 February 2020. In addition, 1,685 pilgrims stranded while making stopovers in other countries and were currently being repatriated home by the airlines.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

An umrah (minor haj) pilgrim from Lombok sleeps on a bench at a waiting area in the departure hall of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday (27/2/2020). Hundreds of umrah pilgrims from across the country were unable to go on the pilgrimage after the Saudi Arabia government banned the visit of foreigners to Mecca and Medina amid COVID-19 fears.

Flying home

Indonesian pilgrims, who were on their way to Mecca, have begun to be repatriated home. Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said 910 Indonesian citizens aboard a Turkish Airlines airline were in Jeddah when the ban was in force and 310 other Indonesian citizens were in Istanbul.

"The Indonesian Embassy in Ankara coordinated with Turkish Airlines for the return of Indonesian pilgrims transported by the airline. There are no additional costs," he said in Ankara yesterday.

Separately, Religious Affairs Ministry umrah and haj director Arfi Hatim asked the pilgrims who could not go on the umrah to remain calm. They would not be burdened with additional costs if they can later depart for umrah. "There are no additional costs for pilgrims who leave for Saudi Arabia after the suspension is lifted. All departures will be rescheduled," he said.

Pilgrims who are already in Saudi Arabia, according to Arfi, could go on the umrah as usual. Their return to Indonesia is on schedule. The pilgrims who are at airports are expected to return to home. "The repatriation costs are the responsibility of the umrah agents," he said.

It was reported from a number of regions that prospective pilgrims went to the travel agency to ensure the rescheduling of their departure. Some pilgrims are still registering even though their departure to Saudi Arabia is uncertain. A number of travel agencies hope that the suspension policy can be lifted immediately.

(NTA/INA/LAS/HAR/BOW/ RAZ/SAM/RAM/JOL/NIK/IKI/ HRS/WER/TAM/TAN