Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
greater than becoming the victim of a terror attack. While statistically this
argument could be made, it is the height of foolishness to draw the par-
allel in the first place. When assessing the safety of a country for foreigners,
the history of the country must be taken into account and the recent trends
must be analyzed. Has anyone taken the time to research some of the recent
happenings in Indonesia, particularly in the region of Borneo, where
Muslim Dayaks and Malays have been slaughtering a group of immigrants
known as the Madurese? The Madurese tend to be mostly Christian and
Animist, and hundreds of Madurese have been hacked to death with machetes
wielded by their Muslim neighbors. There have been numerous and well-
documented cases where such slaughter occurred before the eyes of the
local police, who did nothing, fearing for their own safety. Dayaks have
routinely displayed the dismembered bodies of their Madurese victims in
public. There have even been reports of isolated recurrences of the prac-
tice of cannibalism, once common to the island of Borneo. We would say
to our British friends that if wanton butchery and cannibalism reared its
head in the United States, we would certainly understand their reluctance
to come for a holiday. However, despite the recent warnings by numerous
Western countries not to travel to Indonesia, Western tourists continue to
flock there. We wonder if any of the victims of the latest attack shared the
attitude displayed in the various chat rooms. There are many places to
visit and vacation in the world. Select places with stable governments and
a history of racial and religious tolerance and tranquility.
Additional concerns also must be addressed. Even if the ruling gov-
ernment seems likely to remain in power, it is important to consider the
nature of opposition parties. Have they engaged in acts of violence before
to further their political objectives? Are there terrorist groups active in the
country you are traveling to? Do they have popular support, or do they
work clandestinely? In addition, other considerations, such as the poten-
tial for the nationalization of private property or the destruction of your
corporate assets, must also be weighed. The major oil industries of the
United States and Great Britain are all too familiar with the billions of dol-
lars lost to nationalization.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE
What is the state of the medical infrastructure of the country? Where
are the country's doctors trained? How well staffed and supplied are their
