TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Soekarno-Hatta Airport Class 1 Immigration Office and the Religious Affairs Ministry’s sub-directorate of hajj and umrah supervision managed to thwart the departure of 14 prospective hajj pilgrims.

“They used tourist visas and working visas,” said Head of the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Class 1 Immigration Office Muhammad Tito Andrianto on Tuesday, July 5, 2022.

Tito detailed that 6 of them were ready for hajj boarding Qatar Airways (QR 957), 7 people boarding Saudi Arabian Airways (SV 819), and 1 boarding Thai Airways (TG 433).

They were prevented from leaving after the Immigration checked their visas and printed boarding passes. According to Tito, identifying hajj passengers would be difficult when they use an online hajj visa because the immigration has not had access to check the validity of the online hajj visa to date.

Recently, Qatar Airways also canceled the departure of 17 prospective pilgrims. The Religious Affairs Ministry’s official for hajj and umrah supervision, Taufik Erwin, said that seven of them attempted to fly to the holy land by using working visas.

“But we were suspicious of their data-styles that did not show as if they would work there because they wore luxurious clothes,” said Taufik.

After the interrogation, Taufik went on, one of them admitted that they planned to go for the hajj pilgrimage using working visas. “They are accompanied by an umrah travel agency which has no authority to depart people for hajj,” said Erwin, adding that the Religious Affairs Ministry was evaluating the travel agency’s permit.

JONIANSYAH HARDJONO

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