Australia issues another travel advisory to citizens

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 11): Australia issues another travel advisory to citizens

The Australian Embassy in Manila on Tuesday advised its citizens not to go to Central and Western Mindanao, including the Zamboanga Peninsula, the Sulu Archipelago and Southern Sulu Sea, describing the area as "very high risk."

In the advisory posted on their website, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Australians who travel to the area "should typically seek professional security advice."

The advisory emphasized that regular travel insurance policies will be void in areas of concern and the government will "unlikely be able to provide consular assistance."

On Monday, the Australian government also warned its citizens to be extra cautious in travelling to Central Visayas specifically the provinces of Cebu and Bohol.

The area was described as “high degree of caution” after receiving intelligence reports that some bad elements are scouting to kidnap foreign nationals which was confirmed by Chief of Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa.

The advisory also pegged the official advice for the Philippines at "high degree of caution."

It said Australians travelling to the country should "pay close attention to your personal security at all times and monitor the media about possible new safety or security risks."

The Australian government also flagged an orange advice to those travelling to Eastern Mindanao, telling its citizens to "reconsider" their need to travel.

The Australian travel advice came days after the US Embassy in Manila warned its citizens about "unsubstantiated yet credible" reports of kidnappings in Central Visayas and advised to "carefully consider" this when making plans to visit the region.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=979537