TRAVEL NEWS
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Indonesia travel warning still on
Canberra is unlikely to follow Washington's lead and immediately lift its official travel advice cautioning Australians against visiting Indonesia.
The hard line taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on travel to Indonesia remains one of the few irritants in the otherwise good bilateral relationship between Jakarta and Canberra.
With the number of Australians visiting Indonesia steadily climbing the issue is likely to be raised again by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he meets Kevin Rudd in Jakarta next month.
DFAT's latest travel advisory on Indonesia urges Australians to "reconsider your need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack".
"We continue to receive reports indicating that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including Western interests and places frequented by foreigners."
The US on Sunday lifted its travel alert on Indonesia, prompting presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal to say late yesterday he hoped the action would be followed "by other countries". "Everyone can see that Indonesia is a safe place to be," he said.
DFAT is reviewing its Indonesia travel warning and Australian security officials in Indonesia have recently submitted updated threat assessments on travel to the eastern parts of the archipelago.
Yesterday Mr Djalal declined to confirm whether Mr Rudd and Dr Yudhoyono would be discussing the alert during their June 13 meeting, but emphasised that "people-to-people contacts is an issue that will be discussed; on our side, that's always an important thing".
Indonesia has long resented the DFAT advice, which was put in place after the first Bali bombing in 2002. A Senate inquiry in 2004 revealed that five ASIO assessments had found that Australians were terrorist targets in their own right in Bali, something Mr Rudd as Opposition foreign affairs spokesman said should have been included in DFAT travel advisories.
Mr Djalal said yesterday there had not been a major terrorist attack in Indonesia since 2005.
"We've been very successful in that regard, knock on wood," he said. "Certainly Indonesia is a safe place for Australians to visit."
Britain and New Zealand continue to have security alerts on travelling to Indonesia.
DFAT's current travel notice advises Australians not to travel to Maluku (particular Ambon) and Central Sulawesi due to the "unstable security situation and risk of terrorist attack".
The advisory also warns against other parts of Sulawesi, Aceh, Papua, Kalimantan and West Timor where, it says, "additional security risks exist".
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has ongoing restrictions on foreigners travelling to Papua, Ambon and Poso.
Last year 313,881 Australians visited Indonesia up from 226,981 the previous year.
Source: theaustralian.news.com.au
The hard line taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on travel to Indonesia remains one of the few irritants in the otherwise good bilateral relationship between Jakarta and Canberra.
With the number of Australians visiting Indonesia steadily climbing the issue is likely to be raised again by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he meets Kevin Rudd in Jakarta next month.
DFAT's latest travel advisory on Indonesia urges Australians to "reconsider your need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack".
"We continue to receive reports indicating that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including Western interests and places frequented by foreigners."
The US on Sunday lifted its travel alert on Indonesia, prompting presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal to say late yesterday he hoped the action would be followed "by other countries". "Everyone can see that Indonesia is a safe place to be," he said.
DFAT is reviewing its Indonesia travel warning and Australian security officials in Indonesia have recently submitted updated threat assessments on travel to the eastern parts of the archipelago.
Yesterday Mr Djalal declined to confirm whether Mr Rudd and Dr Yudhoyono would be discussing the alert during their June 13 meeting, but emphasised that "people-to-people contacts is an issue that will be discussed; on our side, that's always an important thing".
Indonesia has long resented the DFAT advice, which was put in place after the first Bali bombing in 2002. A Senate inquiry in 2004 revealed that five ASIO assessments had found that Australians were terrorist targets in their own right in Bali, something Mr Rudd as Opposition foreign affairs spokesman said should have been included in DFAT travel advisories.
Mr Djalal said yesterday there had not been a major terrorist attack in Indonesia since 2005.
"We've been very successful in that regard, knock on wood," he said. "Certainly Indonesia is a safe place for Australians to visit."
Britain and New Zealand continue to have security alerts on travelling to Indonesia.
DFAT's current travel notice advises Australians not to travel to Maluku (particular Ambon) and Central Sulawesi due to the "unstable security situation and risk of terrorist attack".
The advisory also warns against other parts of Sulawesi, Aceh, Papua, Kalimantan and West Timor where, it says, "additional security risks exist".
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has ongoing restrictions on foreigners travelling to Papua, Ambon and Poso.
Last year 313,881 Australians visited Indonesia up from 226,981 the previous year.
Source: theaustralian.news.com.au
Labels: Indonesia, travel warning
