Latest caution is 'worldwide' for Americans
www.sfgate.com Larry Habegger, James O'Reilly, Special to The Chronicle Sunday, February 16, 2003
Middle East/worldwide: In the context of a possible war with Iraq, the State Department has renewed its "Worldwide Caution" public announcement reminding travelers of security risks to Americans throughout the world. It
also issued travel warnings for several countries in the Middle East and authorized the departure of dependents and nonemergency personnel at U.S. embassies and consulates in Israel, Jordan,
Lebanon and Syria. The U.S. Interests Section at the Polish Embassy in Baghdad has been temporarily closed, and no consular services are available to Americans in Iraq.
India: Rajasthan state might be moving toward the Hindu-Muslim violence that has plagued nearby Gujarat the past couple of years. The state government intends to ban the traditional Hindu religious icon, the trident, supposedly to protect Muslims. Hindu organizations have vowed to fight it. Increasing Hindu-Muslim tensions have been increasing and could ignite at any time, especially if the ban goes into effect.
Laos: A bus and other vehicles traveling on Route 13 north of Vang Vieng on the way to Luang Prabang, in an area populated by the Hmong ethnic group, were attacked by about 25 men armed with automatic weapons and grenades Feb. 6. At least 12 people were killed, including two passing cyclists believed to be Swiss citizens, and 26 were wounded. The attackers were reported to have been speaking the Hmong language. A Hmong insurgency had been active in the area through the mid-1990s, and the highway north of Vang Vieng had been the site of occasional attacks in the late 1990s, but the road has been heavily traveled and considered safe for the past two years.
Venezuela: After many months of unrest and more than two months of strikes trying to force President Hugo Chavez to resign, the strike has been lifted except in the oil industry, and peace talks mediated by the Organization of American States continue.
For updates, contact the State Department via phone (202- 647-5225), fax (202-647-3000) or Internet (travel.state.gov). Habegger and O'Reilly are the editors of the San Francisco-based book series Travelers' Tales