Indonesians to pay RM12,000 to perform Haj this year

The Indonesian government has set the cost of performing the Haj this year at Rp34.890 million (about RM12,000), an increase of 25 per cent from last year.

Online media quoted House of Representatives Chairman of Commission VIII Ali Taher Parasong as saying that among the factors contributing to the increase were the collapse of the rupiah against the US dollar and rise of aviation fuel prices.

However, he said the government would extend extra services, including providing two meals a day as long as the pilgrims were in Makkah and Madinah.

In addition, tents used for wukuf in Arafat have been upgraded to the new heat-resistant tents equipped with air conditioning system, he said.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population and the number of its Haj pilgrims this year is 221,000 people, up by 31.4 per cent over last year.

In conjunction with the state visit of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Indonesia, the Saudi government had also announced its decision to reinstate the original Haj quota and give additional quota to Indonesia.

-- BERNAMA