April 2014

In the first attack on tourists in Egypt since 2006, two South Korean tourists, a South Korean guide and an Egyptian bus driver were killed by a suicide bomber who boarded a tour bus in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Feb. 16. Fourteen other South Koreans on board were injured. They were heading from St. Catherine’s monastery to Israel.

The Islamic group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis claimed responsibility and stated that the bomb was part of its “economic war” with Egyptian authorities, leading to concerns that further attacks on tourists and tourism sites may be planned. 

The US Department of State warns against all travel to Afghanistan. Remnants of the former Taliban regime and members of other terrorist organizations hostile to the local government and foreign nationals remain active in every province of the country. 

In January 2014, suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a restaurant in what was considered a safer neighborhood of Kabul. The attack killed 21 people, including three US citizens. The restaurant was near many foreign missions, the US Embassy and the International Security Assistance Force’s headquarters. 

The US government recommends avoiding all travel to Somalia, where Al-Shabaab-planned assassinations, suicide bombings and armed attacks in civilian-populated areas are frequent. There is a particular threat in places where large crowds gather and Westerners frequent.

The Department of State warns of an increasing frequency of terrorist bombing attacks throughout Lebanon.

Weeks of heavy rains caused massive flooding throughout Bolivia, particularly in the central and northern lowlands, in February. At press time, the floods had caused the deaths of 59 people and more than 100,000 cattle.

Bolivia’s rainy season lasts from November until April, but the 2013-2014 season has been particularly disastrous. With homes flooded and crops rotting, over 58,000 families have been affected. Rivers filled with sewage and rotting animal carcasses have inundated wells, and mosquito-borne diseases may spread. The larger cities have suffered less damage.

On Feb. 5, factory workers in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, demonstrated outside the cantonal government building, as they had weekly for six months, protesting claims of government corruption, unpaid wages and a lack of jobs. When they attempted to forcibly enter the building, however, it sparked violence between them and the special police, inspiring antigovernment demonstrations in other parts of the country.

In Venezuela, protests against the soaring crime rate, high inflation and a lack of basic necessities began on Feb. 2 in San Cristobal and spread to the capital, Caracas, where anti- and pro-government groups staged rival demonstrations.

Twenty-one people were killed during protests surrounding a special election in Bangkok and southern Thailand on Feb. 2 that had been called by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s government. 

At press time, protesters still controlled some sections of Sukhumvit Road and Lumpini Park in Bangkok, with sporadic demonstrations in other areas of the capital. The protests, which began in November, had been mostly peaceful, leaving the city’s tourist destinations intact, but occasionally they became violent.

The US State Department advises deferring travel to Ukraine, particularly to the east and south and the capital city of Kyiv (Kiev). 

In Kyiv, protests began on Nov. 21, 2013, following the government’s announcement that it was suspending plans to sign an association agreement with the European Union. On Nov. 30, police severely injured several demonstrators in an attempt to remove them from Independence Square. Protesters then resolved to hold the square and adjacent buildings. 

The article “Ten Cities in 20 Days — A Delightful Custom Tour of China” (Feb. ’14, pg. 18) was a delightful and informative article. It brought back wonderful memories of my trip to China in October ’12. However, I do take issue with Ms. Brandes’ decision, when in Yangzhou, to not experience the amazing spectacle “Impression, Sanjie Liu.”