TH MAKING FINAL PREPARATIONS TO WELCOME HAJ PILGRIMS

From Noor Shamsiah Mohamed @ Ismail

MADINAH, May 5 (Bernama) -- With four days left remaining until the first flight of pilgrims arrives for the 1445H/2024 haj season in the Holy Land of Madinah, Tabung Haji (TH) personnel are now actively making final preparations.

Malaysian Vice Consul (Haj) and Madinah operations director Ashrof Shamsuddin said that almost 90 per cent of the preparations have been completed to ensure the comfort and well-being of Duyufurrahman (Allah’s guests) while fulfilling the fifth pillar of Islam.

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“TH personnel have made thorough preparations to welcome the pilgrims, with the first flight scheduled to arrive in Madinah on May 9 at 3.50 am.

“This includes preparing the accommodation facilities for the pilgrims. Access to the hotel for preparations is only granted three days prior to the pilgrims’ arrival,” he said in a press conference here.

Upon their arrival in Madinah, the pilgrims will be directly transported by bus to their designated accommodation hotel.

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Ashrof said that during the six days and five nights spent in Madinah, the pilgrims’ time will be filled with activities such as briefings, a ‘Ziarah Luar’ tour to historic sites and and ‘ziarah dalam’, a visit to the Nabawi Mosque.

“Pilgrims will also be given a briefing on umrah by the TH’s Holy Land Haj guide before departing for Makkah to ensure they are fully prepared and equipped for worship on the 9th of Zulhijjah,” he said.

To facilitate a seamless haj operation and ensure the well-being of pilgrims this season, TH has deployed a total of 600 haj workers, comprising medical, welfare and information technology officers.

The first group of 16 personnel departed from Malaysia on April 30, followed by three large groups of 150 people including 14 media practitioners on May 2, the third group with 70 people on May 6 and the rest on May 9.

Meanwhile, some 60 TH staff including medical officers left for Makkah yesterday to make preparations to welcome the pilgrims there.

A total of 100 special chartered flights, operated by Malaysia Airlines and Saudi Airlines, will be used to transport all Malaysian pilgrims, with the final flight set to depart on June 9.

Eight departure stations will be utilised nationwide for reporting purposes, namely Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Kedah, Bayan Lepas, Senai, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

The first return flight is scheduled for June 24 and the last one will be on July 2.

At the same time, Ashrof expressed hope that this year’s haj operation would run smoothly.

He also urged pilgrims to always follow TH’s recommendations during their stay in the Holy Land, including the information that will be provided through WhatsApp groups by the Head of Zones and respective Maktab management from time to time.

-- BERNAMA