Indonesia Highlights: Indonesia Cancels Sending Hajj Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia | Salvage Operation of Indonesian Submarine Ends | Indonesian Police: JAD Militants in Merauke, Papua Made Multiple Attemp

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com –Indonesia has canceled sending pilgrims to the annual Islamic Hajj in Saudi Arabia, after the country was left from a list 11 countries permitted to send pilgrims.

Indonesia finally consigns the Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala-402 to the deep, after further salvage attempts by Chinese Navy vessels sent to help their Indonesian counterparts failed.

And the Papua Regional Police has revealed that the militants arrested by the Detachment 88 counterterrorist unit launched multiple attempts to assassinate the Archbishop of Merauke. This and more on Indonesia Highlights:

ANTARA FOTO/Hafidz Mubarak A Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas discusses the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and other issues at a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission VIII in the Parliament Building in Jakarta, Friday (31/5/2021). ANTARA FOTO/Hafidz Mubarak A/hp.

Indonesia Cancels Sending Hajj Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia

Indonesia has officially canceled sending Muslim pilgrims to the Hajj in Saudi Arabia, after the country left out Indonesia from a list of 11 countries that are permitted to send pilgrims to the annual ritual.

Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas pointed out that the ban applies to all Indonesian nationals that go on pilgrimage through the Indonesian hajj quota or other means.

“The government decided to curtail sending [Indonesian] pilgrims for the hajj after [Saudi Arabia] has not cleared Indonesian nationals to go there. They were also unclear whether they will end or extend the closure of the airport there on July 14,” he said.

"Most of all, the global Covid-19 pandemic is still a threat to the health and safety of Indonesian pilgrims."

Indonesian Consul for the Hajj and Umrah (minor) Pilgrimage in Jeddah Endang Jumali confirmed Yaqut’s statement. “The Saudi government has yet to announce the operational aspects or mechanism for the holding the hajj during the [Covid-19] pandemic,” he said.

“They also have not given any information on the hajj quota [from Indonesia] or other technical aspects of the pilgrimage.”

Saudi Arabia has limited the number of countries which can send pilgrims to the annual hajj because of the Covid-19 pandemic to 11 nations.

The countries on the list, which are France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States, were those that are deemed to get the Covid-19 pandemic under control.

However, pilgrims from those countries are still subject to quarantine on entering Saudi Arabia.

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/06/03/161924874/breaking-news-indonesia-cancels-sending-hajj-pilgrims-to-saudi-arabia?page=all#page2.

ANTARA FOTO/Maulana Surya Peoples carry flowers and pray for the entire crew of the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine who went missing in the waters north of Bali Island during a sympathetic action in Solo, Central Java, Sunday, April 25.