parasdunia

Something really painful from http://www.smartraveller.gov.au

You can find more information about this threat in our General Advice to Australian Travellers.

We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, due to the very high threat of terrorist attack. Ask yourself whether, given your own personal circumstances, you’re comfortable travelling to Indonesia including Bali, knowing that there is a very high threat from terrorism and you may be caught up in a terrorist attack. Ask yourself whether travel could be deferred or an alternative destination chosen. If, having considered these issues, you do decide to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, you should exercise extreme caution. If you are already in Indonesia, including Bali, and concerned for your safety, consider departing.

We continue to receive a stream of reporting indicating that terrorists are in the advanced stages of planning attacks against Western interests in Indonesia against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners. These reports include information about potentially heightened risk of attack on particular dates. Recent reports suggest Sunday 2 April 2006 could be a potential date for attack but we emphasise that attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia. In December 2005, Indonesian authorities warned publicly that terrorists in Indonesia may be planning to kidnap foreigners.

Attacks against Westerners in Bali and Jakarta indicate that these areas are a priority target for terrorists in Indonesia. Suicide attacks against locations frequented by foreigners in Bali and Jakarta such as the 1 October 2005 and 12 October 2002 Bali bombings and bomb attack outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in September 2004 killed and injured many people. Westerners were also targeted in the bombing of a five-star hotel in central Jakarta in August 2003. Any popular tourist area or location known to be frequented by Westerners, including resort areas in Bali, is a potential target. We cannot rule out the possibility of another attack targeting Westerners, including Australians, anywhere in Indonesia.

In planning your activities, consider the kind of places known to be terrorist targets. Tourist areas and attractions throughout Indonesia, and tourists travelling to or from these places, including those in tour groups or tour buses, could also be targeted. In November 2005, Indonesian authorities stepped up security in the Tangkuban Perahu tourist park in West Java. Other possible terrorist targets in Indonesia include international hotels, clubs, sporting clubs and sporting venues, restaurants (including international fast food outlets), bars, cinemas, theatres, embassies, international schools, expatriate housing compounds, office buildings, churches and other places of worship, shopping centres, outdoor recreation events or identifiably western businesses and interests. The central business and embassy districts of Jakarta, other metropolitan and tourist centres and premises and symbols associated with the Indonesian Government are also possible targets. Western fast food outlets have been attacked by terrorists in the past and further attacks cannot be ruled out.

Airlines and transport hubs, including airports, may also be terrorist targets. The United States Transportation Security Administration has declared that Denpasar airport in Bali does not comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards on international aviation security. However, United States airlines are not precluded from flying to Bali. Qantas and Australian Airlines services continue to operate normally out of Bali and have additional security measures in place to meet ICAO security standards. If you are concerned about airline security you should contact your airline directly to ascertain what security measures it has in place.

An extremist website posting discussed possible terrorist tactics including terrorist attacks against foreigners in the Kuningan area of Jakarta, which includes buildings such as the Australian Embassy, the International Trade Centre, the Ambassador Mall, Menara, Rajawali, Menara Danamon and the JW Marriott Hotel. Pedestrians on footbridges and their approaches, including possibly the bridge across Jalan Rasuna Said near the Australian Embassy.

The Australian Embassy has advised its staff and their families to be particularly careful in how they travel or walk to and from the Embassy, including when using the Jalan Rasuna Said footbridge near the Embassy.

The extremist website also discussed possible terrorist attacks against foreigners at a range of other locations across Jakarta, including those in slow or stationary traffic such as at entrances to toll roads and carparks, at entertainment venues, shopping centres, sports venues, hotels, exhibition centres and/or the zoo.

Due to security concerns, security at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta is at a high level.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 16th, 2006 at 12:52 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.