Unrest and Disease Make These Places to Avoid

World Travel Watch is a monthly report designed to help you make judgments about travel throughout the world. Because conditions can change overnight, always make your own inquiries before you leave home. In the United States, contact the nearest passport agency office; abroad, check with the nearest American Embassy.

ASIA

Bhutan: By decree of 34-year-old king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, everyone must wear traditional attire in public. The decree is part of a program to revive Bhutanese culture.

China: Signaling anew that the government will tolerate no dissent in Tian An Men Square, police recently arrested a man who wished to place a wreath there to honor the victims of last year’s massacre.

Unrest is growing among Muslim groups in the Xinjiang region of western China where, as has happened in Tibet, ethnic populations are being overwhelmed by massive immigration by Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group in China.

Xinjiang, which lies in a remote region along the Soviet Union border and is part of the legendary “Silk Route” traveled by Marco Polo, is rich in oil and minerals that the Chinese government would be loathe to lose. Violence has flared in recent months and will likely recur. Exercise caution.

India: Tensions remain high in Kashmir as Islamic militants continue their violent attempts to win autonomy for the troubled state, straining relations between India and Pakistan. Curfews remain in effect. The region is off-limits to foreigners and probably will remain so for some time.

The poorer sections of Delhi are usually subject to outbreaks of cholera and gastroenteritis during the summer monsoon season of July-August. Eat at high-quality hotels and restaurants. Drink only boiled or bottled water, avoid ice, and be wary of buying food from street vendors.

Nepal: After a violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators and a strictly-enforced 24-hour curfew in Katmandu, King Birendra bowed to the people’s demands and agreed to legalize political parties and restore democracy for the first time in 30 years. Despite the recent formation of a new opposition government, however, unrest continues, and it would be prudent to defer travel here until the situation stabilizes.

Sri Lanka: The first quarter of this year saw less violence than any three-month period since 1983. With the withdrawal of the Indian Army in March and a negotiated cease-fire between the Sri Lankan Army and Tamil insurgents in the north and east, hopes are high that the country may be pulling itself out of the cycle of violence that has plagued it the last seven years.

AFRICA

Ivory Coast: Planned austerity measures that would have cut government salaries as much as 40% have been postponed. The proposals produced violent protests, and indicate the country’s economic crisis could lead to further unrest. Exercise caution.

Liberia: Fighting between rebels and government forces in the interior has intensified, and all non-essential travel here should be deferred. The situation in Monrovia remains calm but tense, and the international airport remains unaffected. No travel outside Monrovia should be planned. Register with the U.S. Embassy on arrival.

Malawi: The main road from the capital city of Lilongwe to Karonga in the north is paved, but roads throughout much of the country are dirt that become mud in the rainy season when four-wheel drive is necessary. The first choice of transport is by steamer across 700-mile-long Lake Malawi. Steamers are old and crowded but reliable.

Lake Malawi, unlike all other bodies of water in Africa’s Great Rift, is supposedly free of bilharzia, but there have been reports to the contrary. Consult locals before swimming.

The government enforces a dress code and strict censorship. Trousers or shorts for women are banned except when participating in sports or at game parks, and dresses must cover the knees (bare shoulders are OK, though). Men’s hair may not extend below the nape of the neck.

Baggage is subject to a thorough search, and communist and pornographic literature will be confiscated. Writers and journalists are admitted only with government approval. Chloroquine-resistant malaria is endemic and tsetse flies are present in some areas, including Kasungu National Park. Tap water is potable only in major cities.

Sierra Leone: In recent months there have been two helicopter crashes on the route from the Lungi airport across Peninsular Bay to Freetown. Both companies that provide this helicopter service have poor safety records; consider taking a car or the ferry.

EUROPE

Romania: The first free elections in almost 50 years are set for May 20. In view of the recent violence between Romanians and Hungarians in Transylvania and large demonstrations in Bucharest both for and against the National Salvation Front’s interim government, it is likely the elections will be marred by unrest and possible violence. Exercise caution.

Yugoslavia: Emergency measures implemented more than a year ago in troubled Kosovo province have been rescinded. For decades Kosovo has been the site of ethnic tension, and although the situation has improved, caution is still advised because the roots of the troubles run deep.

MEDITERRANEAN

and MIDDLE EAST

Israel: A dispute over Jewish settlers occupying a Christian church-owned building in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City underscores continuing tensions here. Dozens of churches from nine Christian denominations closed in protest and were joined by the closing of two of Islam’s holiest sites, Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. Tensions can flare in unexpected ways. Exercise caution.

Turkey: Unrest has increased in the southeastern provinces where Turkey’s Kurdish minority is demonstrating for autonomy. The unrest resembles the Palestinian uprising in Israel’s West Bank and Gaza Strip, with impromptu roadblocks and teen-agers armed with stones. Security forces have been ordered to act with restraint, but the situation is becoming volatile. Respect military checkpoints and exercise caution.

SOUTH AMERICA

Colombia: An epidemic of hemorrhagic dengue fever is occurring. The disease, for which there is no cure, is carried by mosquitos.

For more information on conditions in countries you may visit, contact the Citizens Emergency Center, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520, (202) 647-5225.