Terrorist target Sulawesi

Anyone see this article.

http://images.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/0...jana/index.html

Unfortunately my wife did and now she is feeling skittish about our planned trip. I am sure it would not be an issue but may have to look for another destination.

Have you checked with the US State Dept to see if there is a bulletin out on your dive destination?

Religion is the poison of humanity...

Back to topic, I don't think you should worry more (or less) about Sulawesi than any other Muslim country or any other part of Indonesia. It is highly unlikely that they will attack westerners at Sulawesi (there are not many there, other than divers), their target in the area are the Christian communities.

you are at risk from terrorists where ever you live.....have you forgotten 9/11 and 11/7

Travel and safety are personal issues. Since this is most likely a vacation for you/you wife do what makes you enjoy the vacation. If you go to Sulawasi, most likely a local Indionesian will pick you up and deliver you to the resort in comfort and safety.

I personally think 99% of the terrorists warnings, especially reported by CNN, MSNBC, Foxnews, and the State Department are full of shit to scare Americans into supporting dumbass policies.

Yes I remember 9/11 as well as the scare to buy duct tape, the fake mobile weapons labs, the fake terrorists who were going to bring down a NY bridge with a torch, and all the other nonsense. Let's grow up and ignore some of this fake scare tactic stuff.

Last week I went on the London Underground to have lunch with someone in the House of Commons (Houses of Parliament). I guess that is the most risky destination I will go to this year!

We have offices in Manila and Shanghai and I spend 3-4mths a year traveling throughout Asia. I always say the most dangerous thing I do is get in my car everyday. The wife is a more sensitive soul, it's just to bad they had to mention Sulawesi.

Hmm, not so many years ago we had massive casualties from a nerve agent released into the subway here in Japan. This was from a known group of radicals and there was active concern for thier activities but not enough to catch them in time.

I dont know how "stupid" those alerts are but they should be consulted for possibilities. Not knowing the local conditions is plainly irresponsible much like jumping onto a dive boat and then being surprised when a typhoon hits you on the water, you should have checked the charts ahead of time. If nothing else, to make sure you think ahead to have a seperate "grab" pile of local cash, clothes, emergency phone number list etc if something did happen. Nothing like having a plan...

Travel and safety are personal issues. Since this is most likely a vacation for you/you wife do what makes you enjoy the vacation. If you go to Sulawasi, most likely a local Indionesian will pick you up and deliver you to the resort in comfort and safety.

 

I personally think 99% of the terrorists warnings, especially reported by CNN, MSNBC, Foxnews, and the State Department are full of shit to scare Americans into supporting dumbass policies.

 

Yes I remember 9/11 as well as the scare to buy duct tape, the fake mobile weapons labs, the fake terrorists who were going to bring down a NY bridge with a torch, and all the other nonsense. Let's grow up and ignore some of this fake scare tactic stuff.

Personal, yes. Each of us handle these warnings differently. I will tell you I am someone who lives in New York City, someone who witnessed with my own eyes, the plane flying into the WTC and watched it fall to the ground, in person, not on TV. Lucky for me, I was at a safe distance and was not injured.

Terrorism is something to take seriously. Whether you take a warning seriously or not has nothing to do with growing up. If you want to state your opinion that an area or situation is safe, fine, nothing wrong with that and I agree that some security measures and warnings defy logic. But please don't belittle people for being afraid or feeling threatened.

Terrorism is something to take seriously. Whether you take a warning seriously or not has nothing to do with growing up. If you want to state your opinion that an area or situation is safe, fine, nothing wrong with that and I agree that some security measures and warnings defy logic. But please don't belittle people for being afraid or feeling threatened.

Terrorism works by creating terror. The USA has been lucky because it has escaped terrorism for most of the 20th Century whereas the rest of the world has been affected for at least 50 years. We have had to take it in our stride.

My first wife was Spanish. In the '70s she was evacuated from a British Supermarket because of an IRA bomb. While standing outside she had a conversation with a British policeman. It went something like this:

Where are you from?

Spain.

I'm glad I'm not there at the moment, what with ETA blowing up your defence minister in Madrid!

She was bemused that he felt a bomb on British soil was far less dangerous than a bomb somewhere foreign!

Terrorism is designed to create illogical terror.

London and New York are probably top of any terrorist's list at the moment but no-one advises us to evacuate the places nor not to go there.

Today's BBC news:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6252276.stm

Last Updated: Friday, 29 June 2007, 08:18 GMT 09:18 UK

Suspected bomb found in London

Haymarket

Police say the area will be closed for some time

Police have made safe a suspected car bomb in the heart of London.

Officers carried out a controlled explosion after reports of a suspicious vehicle parked in The Haymarket shortly before 0200 BST (0100 GMT).

We have spent holidays in Sulawesi in 2001, 2002 and 2006.

On each visit, to the Manado area, we received nothing but friendship, generosity and kindness from the many Indonesians we met at our hotel, dive centre, national parks, restaurants, markets, shops, villages and towns we visited and on the public transport we used to travel around. We made many friends who remain in contact.

We will have no hesitation in returning.

I totally agree with Jim's posting above. The terrorist problems have been in South Sulawesi, not the Christian North. There are both Christan and Muslims there, but they live in harmony from what I saw. There are few if any problems with tourists in the north, I wouldn't have any problem with returning.

Jack

Just as with diving a healthy dose of fear is good for you and an unhealthy extreme in either direction can do you harm.

"Religion is the poison of humanity" The sad part is that religion has done its very best to misrepresent the God I know and deserves a lot of the criticism's heaped upon it.

I recently returned from Indonesia. I spent time in Raja Ampat and Lembeh Straits. I left expecting to find the predominent religion to be Islam. I was surprised to find that both areas are mostly Christian. While there were a few mosques, there were churches on every corner.

...and today's news:

Last Updated: Saturday, 30 June 2007, 00:33 GMT 01:33 UK

Four indicted for JFK 'bomb plot'

John F Kennedy airport in New York City

One of the accused is a former cargo worker at the airport

Four men have been charged with trying to blow up fuel tanks and pipelines at John F Kennedy airport.

A grand jury in New York on Friday indicted the men on five counts of conspiracy to bomb the airport.

The men, three from Guyana and one from Trinidad, were charged with conspiring to "cause death, serious bodily injury and extensive destruction".

Prosecutors say they have links with Islamist militants in the Caribbean and South America.

Looks like North Suluwesi is more safe than New York or London!

I agree with Mr Bantin, I often feel far more at risk from terrorism while walking around central London than I do in the far flung corners of the Earth that we travel to just to get into the water. I suppose that could come from living with terrorism all my life (both IRA and the lastest wave of Muslim extremists) and a few close scrapes during that time.

However it is absolutely necessary to do your reseach before you travel, or before you even book your travel for that matter. There are parts of the world that I wouldn't travel to, but personally I wouldn't count Sulawesi as one of them, but it's a personal decision at the end of the day and only you can decide for yourself.

Cheers, Simon

The point I was trying to make is that terrorism is difficult to avoid - even if you decide to move to Ruby Ridge Montana. We have a similarly pressing problem in the UK and that is the growth of gun-crime, something that was rarely heard of here 20 years ago. Got much gun-crime in your country?

The Christian communities mentioned in the interview probably can be found in the region around Poso in Central Sulawesi. In this part of Sulawesi there has been a very violent conflict since 1998. However, this region is calm now after most of the leaders have been either killed or arrested. The main goal of a terrorist is to spread terror. It is a pity that he was given the opportunity to spread more fear through this interview. Any interview will be used as a weapon by these killers.

By the way, I feel safe here living in North Sulawesi with my wife and 14 months old son.

the very deep south of thailand is a very unsettled place to go to, the muslim extremists there are running riot. that wouldn't stop me from visiting other areas of thailand though. like people have said, do you homework and then enjoy your holiday. i was in north sulawesi a couple of years ago now, and most of the time i was either on a dive boat, diving, or in my hotel room. i didnt get out to see what was going on in the real sulawesi as a lot of us dont when we are on a diving trip.

Hey Martin,

If it's any consolation, there were similar terrorist warnings from CNN AND state consolates about traveling in Sulawasi when I went a couple of years ago, and we had the same trepidation. We went anyway and said F_ck those C-suckers and ended up having a care-free time. We got picked up by a cute lady, shuttled right to the resort and never worried after that. The struggle was more to "make the decision to go" which is what these prick terrorists want us to do. All this aside, the decision to go is up to you but I agree with the rest in that where you are going is largely a Christian population and the threats are typically muted in this area compared to other more populated locales where westerners hang out....i.e. night clubs, hotels, etc.

Do what they did to Mr. T. Drug your wife, and when she wakes up you guys will be at your destination...