The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Bangkok has told Thai authorities that people applying for Hajj visas must go through officially appointed representatives only and it will not accept visa applications from operators taking Hajj pilgrims to Mecca.
Muslim pilgrims pray at the Mount of Mercy (also called Mount Arafat) during the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage to Arafat, Saudi Arabia last year. Millions of Muslim pilgrims gathered to spend the day on Mount Arafat, one of the main rituals of their pilgrimage. (EPA photo)
The Chularatchamontri and the Department of Religious Affairs have been asked to discuss the list of appointed representatives and inform the embassy, according to Preecha Cuntheeya, director-general of the Department of Religious Affairs.
The embassy will contact only these representatives if there are any problems regarding the Hajj visa application to ensure visas are quickly issued.
The embassy will start accepting Hajj visa applications for 2013 on Aug 12 with the quota limit at 500 persons a day, which could increase to 700 a day if necessary.
Mr Preecha said the embassy also asked the Office of the Chularatchamontri and the department to send four to six officials to help handle the applications for one month.
It is expected that around 13,000 Thai pilgrims will visit Mecca during Sept 5 to Nov 20, 2013. Around 80% of them are from five southern provinces.
The Public Health Ministry plans to provide three medical teams to care for the health of the Thai pilgrims around the clock in Mecca. The ministry will also monitor the health of the pilgrims for 15 days after they come back to Thailand.