ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 29, 2013) – A United States travel warning on the Philippines remains enforce, four months after the Department of State banned its citizens from travelling to the southeast Asian country, particularly on Mindanao Island and Sulu Archipelago.
The travel warning, issued on January 30 replaced its June 14, 2012 warning and said it reflects the continuing threats on U.S. citizens due to terrorist and insurgent activities.
“U.S. citizens should continue to defer non-essential travel to the Sulu Archipelago, due to the high threat of kidnapping of international travellers and violence linked to insurgency and terrorism there,” the warning said.
It said U.S. citizens should continue to exercise extreme caution if travelling to Mindanao, saying throughout the region, criminal groups have clashed sporadically with the military, particularly in rural areas, and terrorist groups have kidnapped international travellers and carried out bombings that have resulted in injuries and deaths.
The U.S. warning also said that the Philippine government maintains a state of emergency and greater police presence in Cotabato City, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat provinces in Mindanao due to the current situation there.
But said security and safety conditions in the urban centers of Davao City, General Santos City, and Cagayan de Oro City also in Mindanao are generally more controlled.
“Nevertheless, U.S. Embassy employees must receive special authorization from Embassy security officials to travel to any location in Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, including these urban centers,” the travel warning said, adding the Department of State remains concerned about the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against American citizens and interests throughout the world.
The U.S. Embassy also alerted American citizens that a credible threat of a terrorist kidnapping- for-ransom plot against foreigners has been identified in the Zamboanga area.
It advised all American citizens residing in or planning to travel to the Zamboanga to re-evaluate their personal safety situation and consider postponing travel at this time.
“Any U.S. government personnel already in Zamboanga have been directed to relocate to a secure area. U.S. government employees planning to travel to Zamboanga have been directed to defer their travel at this time,” the Embassy said.
Travel Warnings are issued when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country.
U.S. citizens had been previously kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf rebels in the Philippines and American soldiers training Filipino troops were killed in rebel attacks in Zamboanga City and Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner)
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