August 2004

As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 25 destinations: Libya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, Nepal, Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, Kenya, Lebanon, Iran, Burundi, Yemen, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Central African Republic, Algeria, Colombia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Nigeria and Sudan.

For details, call the State Department at 202/647-5225 or visit http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html.

The Tibet Information Network felt it necessary to announce that road travel in Tibet is much more dangerous in recent years due to rough, unsealed roads and inexperienced drivers working under unsafe conditions.

Drivers for many tour companies are under pressure to return quickly for the next tour, leaving them little time to recuperate. Last year, one driver fell asleep at the wheel, his minivan carrying seven tourists went into a ravine and five passengers were killed.

The Ministry of Health, Kenya, has reported a total number of 141 suspected cases, including six deaths, of leptospirosis in a high school in the Bungoma district.

A cholera outbreak which was under control in Douala town in the Littoral region of Cameroon in March 2004 flared up again with the onset of the rainy season in early June. The Ministry of Health reported 2,924 cholera cases, including 46 deaths, from Jan. 1 to June 9, 2004, in the Littoral and West regions.

The Department of State warns against all travel to Somalia, including the self-proclaimed “Independent Republic of Somaliland.” Interclan and interfactional fighting can flare up with little warning, and kidnapping, murder and other threats to foreigners can occur unpredictably in many regions. There is no U.S. diplomatic presence in Somalia.

The Department of State warns that there are still risks from occasional localized political violence in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Raids to capture indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic gave rise to local disturbances and protests in March and April 2004. Resentment against NATO-led Stabilisation Forces (SFOR) continues, especially in the far eastern parts of the country. The international community continues to be the target of occasional threats.

On June 28, 2004, a U.S. Liaison Office opened in Tripoli, Libya. There is no consular officer included among the staff. Only limited services are currently available to U.S. citizens.

The U.S. Government has received information that extremists may be planning to carry out attacks against Westerners and oil workers in the Persian Gulf region, beyond Saudi Arabia. Extremists may be surveilling Westerners, particularly at hotels and those using rental cars. The possibility also remains for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests in the region.

The Travel Advice Unit of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London points out that there has been a sharp increase in street crime in St. Petersburg, Russia, since April 2004, with tourists being held up at knifepoint on the metro and buses.

Be especially aware of pickpockets in the main tourist areas. Avoid openly carrying expensive items or anything that might easily identify you as a tourist. Incidents of bogus police officers harassing and robbing tourists are also occurring. If you are stopped, always insist on seeing I.D.

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the U.S., Canada or Mexico.) The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.

This month’s winner is WES PERRIN of Bend, Oregon: