Australia warns of Indonesia travel

Australia has updated a travel warning for Indonesia, saying new information suggests attacks could be mounted against foreigners taking part in tsunami relief efforts in northern Sumatra.

Relief workers have been warned against travelling to Indonesia

Australians should defer non-essential travel to Indonesia as a whole, and should avoid all travel to Aceh and Maluku provinces, according to the travel advice issued on Saturday by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

 

“We have recently received new information suggesting that terrorists may be planning attacks against foreigners involved in the tsunami relief effort in Aceh and other parts of northern Sumatra,” the department said in a statement.

 

Australians should not travel to Banda Aceh or other parts of Aceh to participate in humanitarian relief efforts unless under the auspices of a recognised aid organisation, it said.

 

Peace talks

 

Indonesia and separatists in Aceh are due to begin another round of peace talks on Monday in Helsinki, Finland.

 

A bomber killed 10 people in an attack outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta last September.

 

Australia has about 1000 military personnel in Indonesia as part of the aid effort after the 26 December tsunami that left 240,000 dead or listed as missing.

Source: Reuters