Indonesian Embassy Relocates Indonesians Hajj Pilgrims Detained in the Philippines

Photo caption: Indonesian hajj pilgrims detained by the Philippine authorities have been relocated to the Indonesian Embassy in Manila

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that 138 out of 177 Indonesian citizens who were arrested by the Philippine authorities have been relocated to the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, Philippines, according to official Twitter account of the Ministry on Friday (26/8).

The relocation of those Indonesian citizens was done on Thursday evening (25/8) and was finished on Friday (26/8) at around 00.30 am.

The Ministry also reported that a team from the Indonesian Embassy on Friday morning was scheduled to meet with officials from the Philippine Department of Justice to relocate the remaining Indonesians still being detained by the Philippine authorities.

As previously reported, at least 177 Indonesian hajj pilgrims were intercepted and detained by immigration officials at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on Friday (19/08) for attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia on forged Philippine passports by using hajj quota of the Philippines.

“It was alleged that they used forged documents managed by a syndicate in the Philippines,” said Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, Director of the Indonesian Citizen Protection of the Ministry on Saturday.

Those Indonesian citizens were then picked up by officials at the Immigration Bureau of Ninoy Aquino International Airport and were detained at BagongDiwaCamp in Taguig, the Philippines. (ES)(EP/YM/Naster)