Date: 16 February 2013
'Umrah' tour operators must follow new rules.
NILAI: Umrah tour operators have been advised to strictly
follow Saudi Arabian government regulations on the issuance of visas to avoid
cases of pilgrims being stranded.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil
Khir Baharom said yesterday the Saudi Arabian government was fine-tuning the
issuance of umrah visas and was introducing new rules, including requiring
female pilgrims to bring their own mahram or male relatives. Previously, they
were allowed to be accompanied by representatives provided by tour operators.
He said the new rule might be due to the upgrading works in
Masjidil Haram in Mecca, which made the tawaf areas smaller and required better
safety measures.
Jamil said this after presenting the 1Malaysia Book Voucher
(BB1M) and 1Malaysia Student Discount Card (KADS1M) to Universiti Sains Islam
Malaysia (USIM) students here yesterday. He handed over BB1M book vouchers and
KAD1SM discount cards to 9,089 and 2,146 USIM students respectively.
Jamil said the tour operators must secure the visas first
before booking the airline tickets for pilgrims. He was asked to comment on the
case of 130 umrah pilgrims who were stranded at Senai International Airport in
Johor on Thursday night.
Jamil said Tabung Haji did not handle the umrah package.
Copyright @ 2011 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia)
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