Malaysian Govt. to Compensate for Losses Incurred by Umrah Pilgrims
Deputy religious affairs minister Ahmad Marzuk Shaary said the Pilgrims Fund Board (TH) and the tourism, arts and culture ministry had checked the list of pilgrims affected by the postponement.
“We know of Umrah pilgrims who were stranded (following the postponement of Umrah travel) recently.
“They suffered losses as they had paid for accommodation and made other bookings. The government will bear part of these losses.
“However, this is still in the final stage of processing and expected to be completed by the middle of this month,” he said at an event with fishermen in the Kijang state constituency.
Marzuk, who is Pengkalan Chepa MP, said the payment would be disbursed by TH directly to the affected pilgrims.
He said the pilgrims would be required to go to the nearest TH branch office by bringing the relevant documents, including details of their Umrah package.
“If they have a TH account, it will be easier as the payment will be credited directly to their TH account. TH will distribute the allocation provided by the government through the finance ministry,” he added.
The government has allowed the Umrah pilgrimage to resume from Tuesday (Feb 8).
Marzuk advised pilgrims leaving for the Umrah pilgrimage to comply with the stipulated health SOPs, including the wearing of face masks.
Source: freemalaysiatoday.com
