FOREIGN BRIEFING

1. Indonesia

Thousands of Indonesians last week were reeling from the effects of the tsunami last month and of volcanic eruptions that have killed hundreds of people. But government officials continue to insist that the disasters had affected tourism only in specific areas and that Indonesia was still a safe vacation destination.

Mt. Merapi, on the island of Java, continued to erupt, for a time closing airports as far away as the capital, Jakarta, last week and forcing President Obama to cut short a trip to Indonesia. Lava continued to sporadically erupt, with plumes of smoke blackening the sky, as trains, buses and rented autos crammed with Indonesians left the volcano area.

Volcanic ash also temporarily closed parts of the famed 9th century Borobudur temple complex. Berastagi, a town popular with backpackers near the volcano, was declared a danger zone, with more than 30,000 people evacuated.

Hundreds of miles to the west, an earthquake-generated tsunami had earlier devastated parts of the remote Mentawai Islands, destroying hundreds of homes, schools, churches and vacation getaways, including the Macaronis Resort popular with Australian tourists.

Indonesia is susceptible to earthquakes and volcanoes because it sits along the Pacific’s Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped string of underwater fault lines.

But tourism officials stressed that regular flights were operating into major tourist areas, including Bali and Jakarta. They said no numbers were available on lost tourism from the disasters.

“Tourists are still coming,” an official from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said. “Indonesia has plenty of other places to offer.”

For updates, visit the ministry’s website, https://www.indonesia.travel.

— John M. Glionna

2. Cambodia

Tourism is endangering the Angkor Wat temple complex, which has seen annual visitors increase from 840,000 in 2000 to 2.4 million last year, the Global Heritage Fund said. Visitors’ climbing over the ruins has caused “heavy deterioration of original Khmer stonework,” and hotels and restaurants are sapping the aquifer, causing the Bayon temple’s towers to sink into the ground, the U.S.-based foundation added.

— Associated Press

3. China

A high-speed rail line opened between Shanghai and Hangzhou, reducing travel time between the popular tourist cities to 45 minutes from about 80 minutes. The train, traveling in the Yangtze River Delta, can reach 221 mph, officials said. It is part of an expanding high-speed network in China that includes plans for a link between Shanghai and the capital, Beijing.

— Reuters

4. Armenia

A new 3.5-mile aerial tramway across the Vorotan River gorge links the highway from Armenia’s capital of Yerevan to the historic 9th century Tatev Monastery. The $45-million span is designed to boost the area’s tourism potential, Armenian President Serge Sarkisian said.

— Associated Press

5. Italy

Archaeologists, opposition politicians and other critics accused Italy’s government of neglect and mismanagement after the 2,000-year-old House of the Gladiators tumbled in the ruins of ancient Pompeii. The 860-square-foot stone house collapsed just after dawn Nov. 6 when the popular site was closed to visitors.

— Reuters

Caution spots

The State Department recently issued warnings or alerts for these areas:

St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, because of infrastructure damage from Hurricane Tomas

Philippines, because of the risks of terrorist activity