NO OFFICIAL WORD ON REPORTED SAUDI HAJ PROHIBITION

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (Bernama) -- The Pilgrims Management and Fund Board
(TH) said Thursday it had not received any official instruction from the Saudi
Arabian government on a reported prohibition on elderly people, children below
12 and people with chronic illnesses performing the pilgrimage this year due to
the Influenza A(H1N1) global pandemic.

TH Group general manager of public affairs and corporate communications
Abdul Rashid Hussein said a news report saying that health ministers of Arab
countries had agreed to such a ban was not from any official source of the Saudi
Arabian government.

"TH, however, will abide by any instruction of the Saudi Arabian government
and the Malaysian health ministry on the matter," he said in a statement.

Reuters news agency reported Thursday that health ministers of Arab
countries had agreed to prohibit these three categories of people from
performing the pilgrimage this year due to the flu pandemic.

The agency had also quoted Saudi Arabian Health Minister Dr Abdullah
Al-Rabeeah as saying that the national quota of pilgrims would, however, remain
unchanged.

-- BERNAMA