REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi has said that the government is in the process of bringing home 106 Indonesian hajj pilgrims who travelled to Saudi Arabia by using the Philippines' quota. "There are 106 pilgrims in Manila, Philippines now," said Marsudi.
Those Indonesian hajj pilgrims are currently in the Indonesian Embassy in Manila for the final processing phase. "They are preparing their documents to return to Indonesia," Marsudi said after accompanying President Joko Widodo, while receiving the credentials of Ambassadors from 18 countries at the State Palace on Tuesday.
Marsudi said this time the process has been accelerated. They will be able to return home once a clearance is issued from the immigration authorities. "We will then release a document for them to use in place of their passports, as I estimated that not all of them have their passports in hand," the Minister added.
The Filipino government previously mentioned that there are some 700 Indonesian nationals who illegally departed for the hajj pilgrimage without carrying with them their assigned Filipino passports. Marsudi noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recorded that 106 Indonesians have completed their pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, but they were unable to return to Indonesia as they had to go through an investigation processes in the Philippines.
The Filipino authorities originally estimated about 700 people, but Indonesian government do not really have the exact number. "So at the moment the Indonesian Embassy in Manila is taking care of 106 people," she added.
As for the case of 177 pilgrims who were arrested in the Philippines, the Minister said that the process for returning them has been completed. "Two of them arrived in Jakarta this morning. I have reported to the President that the process for 177 pilgrims in the Philippines is complete," she remarked.
The authorities have repatriated 177 Indonesian nationals who were arrested before they could depart for their Hajj pilgrimage using the Philippine quota. They were then sent back home, after completing a lengthy investigation process.
In relation to the law, the Minister said that Indonesian officials must wait for Filipino authorities to complete their work. "The next process will be taken care of by the police force," she added.
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