Imagine this – the anticipation of embarking on a fundamental pilgrimage, the hajj, only to be met with the grim reality of being stranded miles away from home, in a foreign land, with no guidance or support. This was the predicament faced by over 500 Thai hajj aspirants, who despite having forked out a sizeable sum of 270,000 baht each for the esteemed journey, found themselves abandoned in Saudi Arabia, vulnerable and unaided.
The unfortunate saga unfolding in Yala, Thailand has led to an outcry for stringent protective measures to be put into place. Stepping into the breach, the Southern working committee of the Bhumjaithai Party gets ready to champion a cause. The party suggests the introduction of a bill that aims to protect Thai hajj-goers from such distressing experiences abroad. Many of the committee’s marquee names like Nujmuddin Uma, a former Narathiwat parliamentary representative, have vociferously emphasized the urgent need to remodel the extant Hajj Affairs Promotion Act, effectively precluding such incidents in the future.
Despite the regrettable recurrence of Thai pilgrims getting stranded year after year, the magnitude of the recent incident involving a whopping half a thousand individuals has upped the ante, stirring a sense of urgency in action. The call for a resolution to this longstanding issue could not be louder. “It’s time the problem was addressed,” Uma impressively articulated.
Among the host of revamps proposed in the party’s bill, a structured supervision of the hajj tour by a state-supported, funded, and supervised public organization stands tall. The proposed bill also calls for the establishment of a national committee tasked specifically with overlooking hajj affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister himself. The committee is slated to comprise senior government officials from various sectors and esteemed Muslim scholars, a nod to the seriousness and sensitivity of the issue at hand.
But it doesn’t stop there. Within its expansive agenda, the bill further recommends a dedicated hajj affairs division that takes up the mantle of overseeing the hajj mission. A part of the action plan is also to set up exclusive offices for hajj affairs.
In light of the current plight of the stranded Thai pilgrims, Deputy Interior Minister Naris Khamnurak has rallied the Department of Provincial Administration’s hajj affairs promotion division to provide immediate and exhaustive support, including verifying the financial trustworthiness of all hajj tour operators to prevent such episodes in the future.
The dynamic Naris Khamnurak also emphasized the importance of curbing hiking airfare prices due to the already considerable cost of a hajj package, which typically includes a 40-day trip that can amass to an average of 250,000 baht (US$7,200). Clearly, there’s more to the hajj journey for Thai pilgrims than just a spiritual experience, with the Bhumjaithai Party leading the charge to ensure a safe passage for all.
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