Travel Advisory : FAA Wants to See Safer China Airlines Record

Asia

Taiwan: The Federal Aviation Administration, concerned over recent incidents and accidents involving Taiwan’s official airline, has effectively put the carrier on notice that it expects action on safety-related problems, the Washington Post reported. China Airlines has been involved in a rash of incidents that appear related to poor training or unprofessional behavior, according to the Post, and the airline has started a pilot retraining program. Drinking may have contributed to the April 26 crash of a China Airlines Airbus in Japan in which 264 people died, the paper said. The airline flies dozens of international routes, including to and from the United States. The FAA’s politely worded expression of concern carries great weight because the federal agency can bar any carrier from U.S. airspace on grounds of safety.

India: The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi warned all Americans in India that, according to police, Kashmiri terrorists have begun operating in the capital. Americans, whether residents or visitors, were cautioned to “be especially alert and aware of your surroundings” when in public places. One American analyst noted that Kashmiri and Sikh terrorists have occasionally set off bombs at markets and bus stations and added that, while Americans have not been targeted, such weapons “are indiscriminate in nature, and many innocent bystanders have been injured.” In Kashmir, a militant group known as the Allah Tigers warned tourists to leave the Himalayan state, according to the Reuters news agency. The militants accused Indian security forces of planning to massacre foreigners and then lay the blame on Muslim separatists.

Caribbean

Island roundup: An American tourist in Jamaica was murdered during a robbery attempt, U.S. diplomats reported. The unidentified man, staying at a guest house in Runaway Bay near the seaside resort of Ocho Rios, was stabbed to death while resisting several robbers who broke into his house. In Trinidad, a young Canadian couple were found dead on a remote beach, apparent murder victims, Reuters reported. On Grand Cayman Island, a 50-year-old American woman walking along a beach was severely slashed by a machete-wielding attacker, Reuters said. A suspect was arrested, but no motive was apparent. In Dominica, the U.S. Embassy said a state of emergency had been lifted and conditions were largely back to normal 10 days after demonstrators rioted over an increase in vehicle license fees.

Russia

St. Petersburg: Diplomats of five nations warned the city of St. Petersburg that crime is increasingly troublesome to foreign businesses, residents and visitors to the city and that it could adversely affect investment and tourism. In a letter to the mayor of St. Petersburg, the American, British, Swedish, Finnish and German consulates noted that two types of crime threaten foreigners--crimes of extortion against businesses and street crimes such as muggings and burglaries. Foreign businesses increasingly report that making payments to gangs is becoming a cost of doing business in St. Petersburg, and the city’s crime reputation abroad is discouraging tourism, the letter said. A few weeks later, top security officials announced a $1.5-billion anti-crime program for the whole Russian federation.

Latin America

Mexico: Although the country has been shaken by a series of traumatic events this year, U.S. diplomats have concluded that there is no increase in danger to American interests in Mexico. A recent “threat assessment” by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City mentioned the New Year’s Day uprising in Chiapas state; scattered bombings elsewhere in the country in support of the uprising; the March 14 kidnaping of the president of banking giant, Banamex corporation; and the March 23 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio. There is no evidence that U.S. executives are being targeted for abduction, according to the assessment, but it notes that kidnapings for ransom are on the rise in Mexico City, with an estimated 150-plus occurring last year.

Briefly . . .

Guatemala: In what may be the first incident of its kind in Guatemala City, U.S. Embassy guards rescued a Philadelphia woman threatened by a crowd of people who accused her of stealing a 6-month-old child she had recently adopted, Reuters reported. Similar incidents, part of a wave of anti-foreigner hysteria centering around rumors of child-stealing, have occurred in rural areas.

South Africa: In May, political violence fell to its lowest weekly level in more than two years, according to a national human rights group quoted by Reuters. The death toll for the week of May 16-22 was 14, compared with typical earlier totals of 60-100 per week, the Human Rights Commission said. In downtown Johannesburg, meanwhile, six people have been shot to death in recent weeks as part of a violent feud among taxi operators.

Turkey: Kurdish terrorist attacks and threats to tour operators cost Turkey about $1 billion in lost revenue last year, according to Turkish officials quoted by Reuters. Surveys of some tour operators indicate that the start of the 1994 tourist season has been disappointing. In Istanbul, terrorist bombing of tourist sites continued in recent weeks, with few injuries and generally slight damage.

Hot Spots: State Department travel warnings are in effect for Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Korea, Peru, Rwanda, Serbia and Montenegro, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan and Yemen, and for East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

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The U.S. State Department offers recorded travel warnings and advisories at (202) 647-5225; the fax line is (202) 647-3000.