Potential Threats Make Travel Riskier Worldwide for Americans

Since the United States began striking terrorist sites in Afghanistan earlier this month, travel has become riskier for Americans virtually everywhere, the State Department says. The military attacks “may result in strong anti-American sentiment and retaliatory actions against U.S. citizens and interests throughout the world,” according to the latest in a series of urgent worldwide cautions. Americans abroad are advised to monitor local news, stay in touch with the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate and limit their movements.

Europe

Italy: The State Department has received word that “symbols of American capitalism” in Italy may be targeted for attack. Americans in Italy are urged to heighten their security awareness through the end of the year. The embassy in Rome and consulates in Florence, Milan and Naples can provide up-to-date security information.

Germany: The security perimeter of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin has been extended for a full block, and barbed wire is strung along metal fencing in front of the British Embassy. Patrons at a bar that shares a wall with the U.S. Embassy must show identification to police to enter. Some U.S. tourists say they have avoided recognizably American businesses.

Central America

Guatemala: The U.S. Embassy has received reports that Americans in Antigua may be the targets of violent attacks. The attacks may follow staged armed robberies or automobile accidents, the embassy said. The State Department is warning Americans throughout Guatemala to take safety precautions and avoid any situations that appear unusual or potentially dangerous.

Asia

Thailand: The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok has received reports of harassment of Westerners by people opposed to U.S. policies. The embassy suggests that Americans avoid political arguments with strangers and be particularly careful in the Nana area of the capital, where many hotel guests are Arab.

Indonesia: The government moved troops and armored vehicles to protect the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta after a hard-line Muslim group threatened to attack American citizens and facilities. Dozens of nonessential U.S. Embassy personnel and dependents have left the country. Some U.S. businesses, such as Nike, also have sent family members home. Americans who stay in Indonesia are urged to “exercise maximum caution.”

Cambodia: Thousands of would-be visitors from the United States and Europe have canceled trips to Cambodia, according to tourism officials in Bangkok. Facilities most affected are hotels in the northwestern city of Siem Reap, near the temples of Angkor.

Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan: Citing the tension in the region because of the military action in Afghanistan, the State Department has issued travel warnings on the two former Soviet republics, saying Americans should defer travel to each.

Arab and Muslim Countries

Reservations for some popular destinations in Muslim countries are down by 60% or more, delegates to a Muslim world tourism conference were told this month. The Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. have affected tourism worldwide, but Muslim destinations such as Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and the North African nations have been hit almost twice as hard as other countries.

Saudi Arabia: An American oil worker was one of two people killed in a terrorist bombing in the eastern city of Al Khubar, and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh warned more than 20,000 American residents in the country to be careful. Some expatriates say they have been stoned or spat upon and that hostility toward Westerners is becoming more obvious.

Egypt: The U.S. Embassy in Cairo has held security meetings for visiting Americans concerned about their safety. Some parents have ordered some students at American University in Cairo to return to the United States. Egypt, one of the Middle East’s most popular tourist destinations, expects tourism to be down by as much as 50% in the next 12 months.

Briefly ...

Israel: Since the attacks in New York and Washington, tens of thousands of Israelis have lined up to obtain free gas masks. Once a state of emergency is declared, the masks would become available to non-Israelis--tourists, students or foreign workers--for about $45 each. When the mask is returned, half the cost will be refunded.... Georgia: The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi says it has “credible” information that Americans in Georgia are being targeted for kidnapping. In an announcement effective through November, U.S. citizens are cautioned not to travel alone or to sparsely inhabited sections of the capital. There is no indication that the threat is related to the Sept. 11 attacks.... India: Troops have been sent to protect the Taj Mahal, apparently because of fears that the famed Muslim mausoleum in Agra might come under attack by Muslim separatists from the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Taj Mahal has been closed at night since 1984, when Sikh militants threatened to blow it up.

Hot spots: State Department travel warnings are posted for Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Yugoslavia.

For updates, call the U.S. State Department for recorded travel warnings and advisories at (202) 647-5225, fax (202) 647-3000 or see https://travel.state.gov.