JEDDAH – For the fourth consecutive day, some 200 Indonesian overstayers continued to crowd the premises of their country's consulate and streets in the neighborhood demanding free flights back home. The police were present to maintain order and to keep the traffic flow normal. They called on the concerned authorities to make arrangement for the speedy deportation of the Indonesians who have been staying in the Kingdom illegally after arriving in the country on Haj or Umrah visas. One Indonesian said he wanted a replacement for his lost passport, but he was not allowed to meet any consulate employees. He said the consulate does not want to bear the cost of repatriating them, adding that the gathering would continue until the consulate solves their problems. Brig. Misfer Al-Juaid, spokesman for Jeddah police, said these people wanted free air tickets to go back home. The passport authorities in the Kingdom are processing those who have completed their procedures at the consulate. Officials are reviewing their status to determine whether they entered the country on pilgrimage visas, or for work and then escaped from their employers. They are also examining whether criminal charges are pending against any of them. Once the vetting process is over, they will be finger-printed and deported home. A source at the Indonesian mission said overstaying Indonesians used to crowd the consulate premises every year in this manner to pile pressure on the consulate officials to make arrangements for their repatriation. — SG
