Warnings to Heed in Guatemala

Central America

Guatemala: Violence against travelers in Guatemala in recent months has included the kidnap-murder of an American woman and the rape of five Maryland college students. The Philadelphia-based AmeriSpan Unlimited, which provides Spanish-language training throughout Latin America and Spain, has compiled a list of security tips for visitors to Guatemala, including these:

* Don’t travel on public buses at night.

* Avoid the cemetery in Antigua, and don’t climb Cerro de la Cruz, a hill outside Antigua with a view of the town. Both have been the sites of armed robberies.

* Don’t take back roads to popular tourist destinations such as Panajachel, near Lake Atitlan, or Escuintla.

* Don’t wander around Lake Atitlan or the Pacific Coast beaches such as Monterrico late at night.

Asia

Indonesia: Foreigners poured out of Indonesia by the thousands as mobs opposed to President Suharto looted and burned throughout Jakarta, the capital. The State Department on May 14 ordered the evacuation of U.S. diplomatic dependents and warned all U.S. citizens against traveling to the archipelago nation. Australia, Canada, Japan, France and other countries issued similar warnings to their citizens. Tourism on Indonesia’s luxury resort island of Bali has suffered as a result.

Europe

Greece: A rocket attack on a Citibank branch in Athens last month led to fears that a major terrorist group was resuming its anti-government campaign and adding American firms to its targets. U.S. companies such as car dealerships and McDonald’s outlets have been hit by a recent wave of bombings attributed to small leftist groups not known to use rockets.

Meanwhile, Greece’s reputation as a relatively safe country has been marred by a 38% rise in the crime rate in 1997, and the prime minister has called for more police patrols. Some Greeks blame the influx of Eastern European immigrants for the increase in crime.

Briefly . . .

Spain: Citing statistics released by Madrid officials, the U.S. Embassy reports that although violent crime in the capital increased only 1.5% last year, violent crime against American tourists rose 66% during the peak season. Britain recently warned its citizens about an increase in robberies. . . . Mexico: Scores of forest fires have combined with slash-and-burn clearing and high temperatures to cloak Mexico City and much of the region in a haze of dirty air, according to The Times’ Mexico City bureau. The pall, which stretches to Houston and Miami, has touched off health alerts in much of Mexico and shut down airports in Honduras. . . . Hungary: After complaints from other European nations that certain Budapest restaurants were fleecing customers, Hungarian officials vowed to clean house and promised more police patrols in tourist areas. Police noted that 16,800 foreign visitors to Hungary filed official complaints last year.

Hot spots: State Department travel warnings are posted for Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo (formerly Zaire), Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Montserrat, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan and Tajikistan.

The U.S. State Department offers recorded travel warnings and advisories at (202) 647-5225; the fax line is (202) 647-3000. Internet address is https://travel.state.gov.