Posted on 11/16/2006 2:19:49 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
MEXICO CITY — In the wake of bombings, civil unrest and potential for further mayhem, the U.S. government is advising Americans to be careful anywhere in this country.
Officials cautioned late Wednesday that while U.S. citizens aren't specifically being targeted, they should be aware of their surroundings, especially when near large political gatherings.
"This is not a broad brush or anything that says do not go to Mexico; we are saying to be careful in Mexico due to the potential for violence," said a U.S. Embassy official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The State Department issued a formal advisory that Americans should not travel to the troubled colonial capital of Oaxaca — where demonstrators and police repeatedly have clashed — and should remain vigilant throughout the nation.
It warns that things could get worse if the events around Monday's anniversary of the Mexican Revolution are used to spread violence in Oaxaca, Mexico City or elsewhere.
"Be attentive to surroundings, and if people seem hostile or could be participating in activity that could lead to violence, (Americans) should avoid those areas," the official said.
Beyond the Border Text of updated State Department advisory
The advisory comes as the State Department and U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza have steadily advised about the potential for trouble in Mexico.
Garza, a native of Brownsville, drew controversy in 2004 by saying Americans should be careful when visiting border cities due to drug-cartel turf war violence and a rash of kidnappings.
Garza later went as far as to say some regions of the border, specifically near Nuevo Laredo, were nearly lawless.
He drew fire from Mexican President Vicente Fox and his Cabinet, who said the characterizations were unfair and that Mexico was fighting mightily to take on the cartels.
Most recently, Fox has strongly denied Mexico was becoming unstable.
The latest State Department advisory comes as Mexico prepares for a new president and has seen an increase in political violence.
Three buildings, including a bank, a political party's auditorium and a federal electoral office were bombed in Mexico City on Nov. 5 in attacks believed to be linked to unrest in Oaxaca.
Striking teachers and a coalition of leftist groups there are demanding the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz, who they accuse of corruption, murder and other crimes.
In the wake of the Mexico City bombings, a shadowy coalition of five militant groups issued a statement saying 40 of the largest national and multinational companies in Mexico would see further violence.
No one was hurt in the bombings, which occurred in the early morning hours when buildings were closed.
An American citizen in Oaxaca, an activist-journalist, was shot and killed Oct. 27 as he videotaped a street clash.
Many people believe he was shot by rogue local police.
The next day, Fox sent thousands of federal riot police to the city in an attempt to restore order.
Since then, there have been clashes in which demonstrators and police were injured.
There also has been a continued wave of likely drug-cartel violence, including the deaths this week of six Michoacán police, who were sprayed with hundreds of rounds of bullets.
Mexico political analyst José Antonio Crespo said he found the State Department advisory exaggerated, but that it was understandable why Washington is concerned.
"There is reason to see things as being out of control," he said. "It is understandable, as the environment is very tense."
Still, Crespo said he doesn't believe the entire country is a danger to U.S. tourists.
There was no immediate reaction from the Mexican government.
Fox is to leave office Dec. 1 and be replaced by Felipe Calderón.
The leftist Democratic Revolution Party has vowed to disrupt Calderón's inaugural ceremony, which is to be held in a heavily guarded congressional compound.
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dschiller@express-news.net
I've heard anecdotal info that Mexico City is very crime-ridden too except for a few areas in the central business district.
Anyone else heard this too?
Mexico can be dangerous? No way! All day long I hear that they are nice and want to help us have cheap lettuce.
I sure couldn't see any drawback to letting 20 million of their citizens become U.S. citizens.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
I'd trust Mark in Mexico's on-the-spot reporting about Oxaca more then I would trust Vincente Fox.
Things aren't good there.
The other day I saw this movie called "A Day Without a Mexican." I couldn't sit through the whole thing, but I have to assume crime in Mexico City dropped to an all-time low.
And now, thanks to illegal immigration...
Americans hear a note of caution [to be careful anywhere in the United States]
..third world toilet...
And now you know what happens when they flush. ;-)
This is news?
By doing jobs Americans don't want to do!
By doing jobs Americans don't want to do!
The best advice for us is to stay home. I sure wish the Mexicans would too.
Do not get into a roaming VW taxi .
Hell yeah, so lets open our border even wider for Mexico.
Makes sense to me.
Mr. President, what the hell is wrong with you?
So tourism is (was) their one big income source and now they've fouled that up. Way to go!
and that we should open our borders and just let them pour in like water.../s
Why do I smell Hugo Chavez's hands in this???
I spent a few days there last month, somewhere in the central/western part of the city. My hosts advised I not walk the streets (even the short distance to the World Trade Center), and I noticed that around the hotels the stores were shut and the streets empty by 6 PM. Even ordering a taxi was *always* done through the hotel.
It is corruption at the top pure and simple. Mexico is the tenth richest country in the world. Their entire federal government and many state governments are designed to keep the riches in the hands of a ruling oligarchy.
I really do feel sorry for most Mexicans that come here. For about as long as it takes for me to remember that they are suposed to be a democracy and they should be able to clean up their own mess. But they know that as long as they can come here, they don't have to clean house back at the casa.
I'm sorry that landlords own most of the land. How many times has there been land reform in Mexico? Did real well didn't it?
I'm sorry that there are too many other untrained workers competing for the few factory jobs left that you stole from the US in the first place.
I'm sorry that foreign companies that could completely turn the Mexican economy around in less than a decade face heavy restrictions on how much and which industries they can invest in.
I'm mostly sorry that the largest city in the world (in a country that really likes baseball) can't have a pro baseball team because somehow 25 million people can't do what most cities of one or two million do in the US-- buy tickets. Of course they might have read the fine print that only the Yankees are allowed to actually make a profit.
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