UK embassy warns Brits against travel to South

By Michaela P. del Callar

12/22/2008

Noting the existence of “high threat of terrorism” throughout the Philippines, the British Embassy advised its citizens against all travel to Mindanao, the recent focus of bombing attacks that authorities attributed to Muslim terrorists.

In an updated travel bulletin posted on its Web site, the embassy said “terrorist groups continue to plan attacks and have the capacity and the intent to carry out these attacks at any time and anywhere in the country,” citing the Dec. 18 twin explosions in two department stores in Iligan City that killed two and wounded 53 civilians.

In Iligan City, child scavengers yesterday found an explosive device at an open dump, several days after it was hit by deadly twin bombings, police said.

Military and police ordnance experts disarmed the bomb where the children had found it at a large empty lot in central Iligan that was being used as an open garbage dump, said Iligan police chief Celso Regencia.

He said the device included a mortar shell that was half concealed inside a large papaya fruit. The bomb squad said the mortar was different from the type issued to the Armed Forces.

The authorities blamed the attacks on Muslim separatists.

The British embassy noted that buildings and locations visited by expatriates and tourists are potential targets for terrorists.

“Attacks could be indis-criminate in places including frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers,” it said.

The embassy also advised

against all travel to the Sulu archipelago including Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Jolo, where there military and police operations against insurgent groups were going on.

“There are frequent terrorist attacks against civilian targets throughout Mindanao,” the advisory said, adding that threat of kidnapping of foreigners was very high.

“We continue to believe that terrorists and criminal elements plan to kidnap foreign tourists from islands and coastal areas in the southern Philippines (such as) Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago,” it said.

“You should be aware that the long-standing policy of the British Government is not to make substantive concessions to hostage takers. The British Government considers that paying ransoms and releasing prisoners increases the risk of further hostage taking,” the embassy added.

British nationals were also warned of the risk of terrorist attacks to all forms of public transport such as road, rail, sea and air.

“Terrorist groups have threatened to attack passenger ferries and other vessels, particularly those operating from Mindanao,” it said.

Around 70,000 British tourists visit the Philippines every year.

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