Flight Safety Record Poor in Latin America

Latin America

Air travel: Flying in Latin America is more dangerous statistically than in North America, Asia or Europe, according to a report by the Associated Press. In a study cited by the AP covering a nine-year period, Latin America had the world’s highest rate of crashes during attempted landings--32 per million flights, which is three times the world average and nearly eight times the U.S. average.

The Federal Aviation Administration closely monitors other countries’ compliance with international air safety standards. In the latest FAA list, only 14 of the 30 rated countries in Latin America were considered satisfactory, including Mexico. Eight countries earned a “conditional” rating, and the remaining eight--Belize, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Suriname and Uruguay--were rated unsatisfactory.

Asia

Tourism suffered at several popular Southeast Asian sites after the United States and other countries issued warnings of health hazards due to smoke from forest fires. Scores of fires on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra, burning for weeks, have filled the region’s air with choking smog, causing mass respiratory problems and triggering health alerts throughout the area. The State Department, in a one-month advisory in effect until Oct. 19, cautioned Americans that air pollution had reached unhealthy levels in Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia.

Smog spread as far as Thailand’s popular Phuket resort, 250 miles northeast of Sumatra, and the British-based Thomas Cook travel agency suspended new bookings to the affected areas. Rainfall has brought some respite in parts of the region, but anyone planning trips to Southeast Asia should carefully monitor conditions there.

Middle East

Egypt: A Muslim militant group warned tourists against visiting Egypt and threatened to attack Americans in the Arab world after the U.S. government officially labeled it a terrorist organization. The warnings came in separate statements by the Gamaa al Islamiya, or Islamic Group, to news organizations in Cairo. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright identified 30 foreign groups, including Gamaa al Islamiya, as terrorist organizations and made it illegal for Americans to provide them with funds or other support.

The State Department had no immediate comment on the threat, but it notes that Gamaa al Islamiya, believed to have several thousand members, killed a British tourist in 1992 and 18 Greeks in 1996.

North Africa

Morocco: A court has sentenced two Britons to four years in jail after they were arrested with more than 800 pounds of cannabis hidden in their van. Nearly 600 foreigners, most of them Europeans, are in Moroccan prisons, 90% of them for drug offenses. Compared with Singapore and other countries that impose a mandatory death sentence for drugs, Morocco’s average jail terms are relatively lenient, with a maximum penalty for drug convictions of 10 years’ imprisonment. But the country is now considering increasing the maximum sentence to 30 years.

Briefly . . .

India: Two bombs exploded in a crowded marketplace in the old quarter of New Delhi, injuring 27 people, and both Sikh and Kashmiri separatists were suspected. In July, the State Department had warned Americans of the possibility of terrorism in the Indian capital. . . . Japan: Tokyo police have asked train companies to help curb physical harassment of women by setting aside cars for women during rush hours. Japanese women complain that they are frequently fondled by men on the notoriously crowded Tokyo subways, and posters in many stations warn women to beware of molesters. . . . Papua New Guinea: A curfew imposed to counter violent crime has been lifted, but crime continues at pre-curfew levels, particularly in Port Moresby, the U.S. Embassy reports. Travel to Bougainville Island is still restricted because of the ongoing insurgency there. . . . Macao: The number of hotel guests in the Portuguese-run gambling mecca dropped nearly 40% in July after a wave of gang violence. At least 17 people have been killed this year in turf wars between the criminal societies known as triads. . . . Sri Lanka: A truck bomb and gun battles between police and Tamil guerrillas in Colombo killed more than a dozen people and wounded scores in one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the capital in 14 years of civil war.

Hot spots: State Department travel warnings are posted for Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo (formerly Zaire), Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Montserrat, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan.

The U.S. State Department offers recorded travel warnings and advisories at (202) 647-5225; the fax line is (202) 647-3000. Internet address: https://travel.state.gov.