340 STRANDED THAI HAJ PILGRIMS TO LEAVE FOR JEDDAH WEDNESDAY

PENANG, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Some of the 700 Thai haj pilgrims who have been

stranded here for nearly a week are scheduled to leave for Jeddah Wednesday
night.

A company representative that arranged their travel told the pilgrims who
had been staying at the Tabung Haji complex in Bayan Lepas that 340 of them
would be making the trip.

One of them, Usman Awae, 50, from Pattani said he was happy to finally get
to go to Mecca for the pilgrimage.

"I hope to travel tomorrow but the time has not been confirmed," he told
Bernama here Tuesday.

Usman said they became stranded when the aircraft that was supposed to take
them for pilgrimage did not get permission to land in Jeddah.

He was happy with the accommodation at Tabung Haji complex and that they
were treated well by the management. Tabung Haji (Pilgrims Fund) provides
saving, investment and financial services to pilgrims.

Majidah Alee, 42, and husband Zakariya Uma,48, from Narathiwat were also
happy with the news and hoped that the flight would not be delayed.

They said their stay at Tabung Haji complex was borne by the travel company
and that the Thai consul general had visited them to see to their
welfare.

Some of the stranded Thai pilgrims were put up somewhere else as the Tabung
Haji complex was full with Malaysian pilgrims.

The Thai pilgrims would have to vacate the rooms to make way for Malaysian
pilgrims who would be leaving for haj from Bayan Lepas International
Airport.

Efforts to contact the travel company that made arrangement for the Thai
pilgrims proved futile.

The Thai pilgrims arrived here on Thursday from Pattani and Narathiwat in
southern Thailand and were scheduled to leave for Saudi Arabia that night but
were stranded after the aircraft was refused permission to land in Jeddah.
-- BERNAMA