Terrorists in Uganda and Elsewhere Threaten Tourists

Africa

Uganda: The murders of eight foreign tourists on a gorilla-watching trek in Uganda’s Bwindi National Park earlier this month cast a chill over Ugandan “adventure tourism” and touched off warnings about the risks of traveling there. Two Americans from Oregon were among those massacred by Rwanda-based terrorists who, according to U.S. officials, were intent on scaring visitors away from Uganda, which depends heavily on tourist income.

A carefully worded State Department announcement stopped short of warning Americans against traveling to any part of Uganda, but said they should “be aware of threats to their safety” from various insurgent groups in that country, some of which have touched off bombs in Kampala, the capital. Although the murders occurred in southwestern Uganda, the north and west are considered the riskiest regions. Americans should register with the U.S. Embassy in Kampala upon arrival, and anyone considering travel to the north or west should check with the embassy for a security update.

Worldwide

In response to various reports “that make us concerned about the safety and security of both official U.S. government personnel and private American citizens,” the State Department on March 17 urged Americans all over the world to increase their security awareness. Stressing that it was reacting to no particular event, the department cited several ongoing factors:

* Terrorists, including Osama bin Laden, who continue their threats against the United States and do not distinguish between military and civilian targets.

* The potential for retaliation against Americans over the arrests of suspects in the bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa and U.S. air strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan and Sudan.

* The possibility of retaliation against Americans because of Washington’s confrontation with Baghdad over the enforcement of no-fly zones in Iraq.

Asia

Turkey: Within weeks of the capture of Kurdish guerrilla leader Abdullah Ocalan by Turkish forces, the pace of terrorist activity picked up, most of it focused in Istanbul. In the most serious incident, 13 people were killed two weeks ago when a clothing store in that city was firebombed. Ocalan’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party issued a fresh warning that tourist sites would not be exempt from attack, and Turkish tour operators reported some cancellations of reservations for the summer. Germany and France warned their citizens about the danger of traveling to Turkey, and the British Foreign Office said Britons’ safety could not be guaranteed there. The State Department suggested only that Americans visiting Turkey “carefully consider whether to avoid places where large crowds congregate.”

Europe

Spain: Violence flared across the Basque region of northern Spain earlier this month in response to the arrests of more than a dozen leaders of the Basque separatist group ETA. The 17 reported incidents, an intensification of months of low-level street violence by ETA supporters, included the firebombing of a Citroen dealership in Bilbao, the torching of a telephone booth and automatic teller machine in Pamplona and the trashing of a Socialist Party headquarters in Bermeo by hooded former assistant foreign editor at The Times. His column appears monthly.

men wielding clubs. With the tourist season approaching, the State Department’s standing consular information sheet on Spain notes that every summer for several years, Basque separatists have tried to frighten away tourists by setting off small homemade bombs in popular tourist areas.

Briefly . . .

The Balkans: Before NATO began air strikes against Serb military targets last week, the United States evacuated all staff members from its embassy in Belgrade and “strongly urged” other Americans to leave Yugoslavia. Warning that Americans may be targets for retaliation, the State Department also cautioned against traveling to the Serb-controlled half of neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina. . . . Brazil: Hundreds of residents of Rio de Janeiro’s beachfront Ipanema community took to the streets to protest a spate of muggings, armed robberies and homicides. Much of the violence in the upscale neighborhood is caused by youth gangs that sell drugs, vandalize property, threaten motorists and beat men they believe are homosexuals. . . . India: Police have warned visitors to the Taj Mahal that shady restaurant owners are teaming up with crooked doctors to sicken tourists with tainted food and then divvy up their medical insurance money, the Associated Press reports. A Scottish man and a South Korean woman told police that a cheap restaurant near the famed monument in Agra served them food that made them ill, then steered them to a doctor who charged huge amounts to cure their diarrhea. . . . Thailand: Following threats by drug traffickers to kidnap U.S. government personnel, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok warned all government employees and dependents not to travel to the area of Chiang Mai province north of the town of Fang and the area of Chiang Rai province north of the provincial capital of the same name. Private U.S. citizens in the two provinces are advised to be careful. . . . Uzbekistan: At least five car bombs were detonated last month in Tashkent, most near downtown government buildings. Americans in the capital should avoid unnecessary travel, crowds and public areas, according to the State Department.

Hot spots: The State Department has dropped Syria from its list of places considered dangerous for Americans. Remaining on the travel-warning list are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo (formerly Zaire), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Montserrat, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Rwanda, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan and Yemen.

The U.S. State Department offers recorded travel warnings and advisories at (202) 647-5225; the fax line is (202) 647-3000. Internet address is https://travel.state.gov.