JEDDAH, 9 December 2002 — More than 200,000 foreign pilgrims remain stranded in the Kingdom after they failed to obtain seats on ships or planes for their return journey because of the holiday rush.

Dr. Mohammed Banten, deputy minister for Umrah affairs at the Ministry of Haj, said his ministry was making efforts in coordination with Umrah companies and travel agents to solve the problem immediately.

He said the ministry has asked the Umrah companies to house the pilgrims in their accommodations until their return bookings are confirmed. “Arrangements have also been made to take some of the pilgrims to Madinah,” he added.

The Haj Ministry has warned shipping companies against exploiting pilgrims and urged them to operate adequate number of services to transport the pilgrims without delay. More than 2.2 million pilgrims came to the Kingdom from 148 countries to perform Umrah during Ramadan.

As many as 350,000 of them have left the Kingdom within the last three days. They included 30,000 pilgrims who left for Egypt and Sudan by sea.

Banten hoped that the new passenger lounge at the port would facilitate proceedings at the port. The ministry in coordination with the Ain Al-Aziziya charity is operating more than 50 buses to transport the pilgrims to the port.

The minister said about 10,000 travelers benefited from the transit facility for performing Umrah this year. “The number of people who make use of this service will increase in the coming years,” he said.

Meanwhile, officers of the Passport Department have intensified patrolling around Jeddah Islamic Port after a large number of the stranded pilgrims are found to be squatting in streets in the area awaiting arrival of their ships.

Banten said the ministry has set up a committee to prevent squatting of pilgrims in areas close to the port. The ministry provides accommodation at the pilgrim city only to those pilgrims whose departure is confirmed and is close.

Fahd Al-Odwani, director of booking at the port, said the Umrah companies have been told to bring their pilgrims to the port 24 hours before departure.

According to the Okaz newspaper, many stranded pilgrims were sleeping under the shade of trucks and trees near Jeddah port as they did not have enough money to rent accommodation in hotels or furnished apartments.

Mohammed Fatahi, an Egyptian, told the Arabic daily that his travel agent had cheated him by providing him a fake booking for his return journey.

The paper said many booking offices at the port were asking bribes to give confirmed bookings.

“The ministry has urged shipping companies not to charge the pilgrims any extra fee for confirmation of seats,” Deputy Minister Banten said.

Mutawalli Ahmad, an elderly pilgrim who was suffering from health problems, said his condition did not allow him to stand in long queues and fight with others to get a booking.

“The shipping company cheated me by saying that my return journey is scheduled for the first day of Eid and when I came here I was surprised to hear that the ship has already left the port,” he said.

Redha Ahmad, a female pilgrim, said she was awaiting the ship for her return journey for more than 12 days now. “I don’t have money. I sleep in the street in the shade of truck. I tried to contact my booking officer, but they told me he is on leave,” she told Okaz.

Umrah companies, meanwhile, have said that shipping firms and Umrah companies must cooperate with the ministry to stop the negative trend of pilgrims squatting in public places.

Yasser Al-Kholi, executive director of Labbaik Company, said concerned government departments must make efforts to prevent pilgrims from overstaying after escaping from Umrah companies, which will be fined SR3,000 for each absconding pilgrim.

Kholi urged intervention of the ministry and the Passport Department to find viable solution to the problem. “Stopping of dealings with defaulter foreign agents will only help them evade punishment,” he added.