PILGRIMS STRANDED IN MAKKAH CONVEY APPRECIATION TO M’SIAN GOVT FOR BRINGING THEM HOME SAFELY

SEPANG, Haj pilgrims who were stranded in Makkah for a month expressed thier appreciation to the MADANI government for bringing them back to Malaysia safely. Speaking to reporters after arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2 here today, a retiree who had worked in the private sector and only wanted to be known as Mohammad said the assistance provided by the government had eased the process and procedures to ensure a safe return home. 'I wish to thank the government and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,' he said briefly as he had to end the conversion since his wife who was nearby collapsed and nearly fainted due to fatigue. Mohamad, 60, and his wife Ju, 58, arrived at the KLIA Terminal 2, at 7pm via a flight from Singapore. The media had recently reported that a husband and wife couple were stranded in Makkah and appealed for help after a tourist agency that handled their trip to the Holy land to perform the Haj, using a tourist visa did not cooperate by refusing to r eturn their passports to enable them to return to Malaysia. Meanwhile, their third child, Ena, 33, said due to the poor condition of her parents, she contacted the Malaysian Counsular General office in Jeddah on Wednesday to seek help. She said her mother had been suffering from high blood pressure and a weak heart for the past five years. 'I started contacting the Counsular's office in Jeddah to explain the situation faced by her parents and about 300 other victims. 'The office was very helpful and kept providing updates on a daily basis, including sending their pictures and their progress to me,' said Ena who is a legal adviser. Ena said the Consular General's office in Jeddah had been dealing with the tour agency, urging the agency to return their passports and manage the cost of their return. 'Alhamdulillah, they finally left Jeddah yesterday and transitted in Singapore before leaving to KLIA today,' she said adding that her parents left to Makkah on May 2. Ena added that she had also lodged a poli ce report and given her statement to the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), Lembaga Tabung Haji and the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission regarding the incident. Source: BERNAMA News Agency