U.S. Embassy in Indonesia issues alert for American citizens

Associated Press | September 20, 2002

[HAL9000]

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sep 20, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- The United States has warned Americans traveling to a popular tourist area in Indonesia to be vigilant, saying it has received credible information that Westerners may be the target of violence.

The notice was issued Thursday night to American citizens living in Indonesia and follows the closure last week of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta for four days. The closure of U.S. Embassies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam was prompted by what officials described as security threats that preceded the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The latest alert is directed at Americans traveling to Yogyakarta, 500 kilometers (300 miles) southeast of the capital of Jakarta. The notice does not give details about the threat and a spokesman at the U.S. Embassy said he could not comment.

"The embassy has received credible threat information that Westerners in the Yogyakarta area may be targeted for violence in the immediate future," the alert said. "We caution all American citizens to be vigilant and take appropriate precautions."

Yogyakarta is a base of the group Laskar Jihad, a militant Islamic group whose leader is on trial for inciting violence against Christians. But the group's attorney said Westerners have nothing to fear from the group.

The embassy in Jakarta was closed last Tuesday due to what U.S. ambassador Ralph Boyce called a "credible and specific threat" to security that he suggested was linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

It was the second time since the Sept. 11 attacks that the embassy was closed because of security fears. In October, the public section of the building was shut down for two weeks due to fears of a terrorist attack.

Though the embassy is now open, officials have cautioned that U.S. citizens should avoid facilities associated with the U.S. Embassy as information about a security threat "remains serious and compelling."

The embassy also erected a concrete barricade Tuesday that runs the length of the complex as a deterrent against bomb attacks.

Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved

[Skwidd]

Aaah, Indonesia. My favorite melting pot of ignorance, poverty, racism, and Islam. Don't walk down the street here by yourself, whitey...