Hundreds of Egyptian Umrah overstayers recently gathered outside their consulate here seeking help to go home. It has been learned that the passports of the more than 700 Egyptians — mostly women, children and the elderly — have been kept by their Umrah companies which are demanding SR3,000 from each person for their return. The overstayers want their consulate to help them get their passports back and facilitate their travel arrangements, Al-Hayat Arabic daily said. Amnesty International and the Arab Organization for Human Rights in Jeddah had to help the pilgrims get food, accommodation and transport while the authorities tried to sort out the problem. Dr. Talat Attar, a member of Amnesty International, said the consulate was forced to provide housing and meals for their citizens. They were also transported to the Passports Department to have their fingerprints taken. The consulate also lodged an appeal with the office of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, to have their travel documents approved quickly. Ali Ashri, the Egyptian Consul General, said the consulate had approached the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Haj to house the overstayers at the Pilgrims City in Jeddah, at the expense of the Egyptian government. The ministry approved the plan effective Tuesday, he said. Ashri said the majority of those who gathered outside the consulate had been in the country since Ramadan. He said there was cooperation between the consulate and the Jeddah Passports Department to deport those with passports and to facilitate the travel arrangements for those without passports. In a statement, Ashri said Egyptian citizens create problems for themselves by staying for Haj after their Umrah visas have expired. This results in their Umrah companies refusing to give them their passports or fining them. An official at the Passports Department said all those claiming to be overstayers must have their fingerprints taken. This is to ensure that they are not wanted criminals or those who have run away from their employers.
