Police Urged to Investigate Case of Indonesian Pilgrims Stranded
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Kamis, 1 Januari 1970 07:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chairman of the National Commission for Hajj and Umrah Mustolih Siradj has urged the police to investigate the syndicate involved in the case of the departure of Indonesian hajj pilgrims through Manila, the Philippines.
"This is purely a criminal act. The police should have been made the sponsor or travel that does not have the permit as a responsible party," he said in a written statement on Friday (26/8).
As previously reported, 177 hajj pilgrims Indonesia were detained by the Philippine authorities as they were about to depart for Mecca with forged Philippine passport on Friday.
Until now, the Foreign Ministry is still trying to return them to Indonesia.
The Indonesian Police have also announced some travel agents who dispatched the pilgrims through from Indonesia to Malaysia, then to the Philippines, and forwarded to Saudi Arabia.
Mustolih also regretted that until now there has been no party named to be responsible.
"In fact, the authorities have identified the sponsors and the travel agents who dispatch then," he said.
MITRA TARIGAN
