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| DespiteTravel Warning, Philippine Officials Assure of Cebu Safety |
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In spite of some countries' warning against traveling to Cebu, the venue of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, for fear of terrorist attacks, Philippine officials say there is no specific threat to the summit site. "With the ASEAN Summit starting Sunday, the security preparations have made Cebu a lot safer," the local Sun Star newspaper Friday quoted Task Force chief for the summit Silverio Alarcio Jr. as saying. He said the danger can't be ruled out and that no one can be sure of absolute safety, but that Cebu "has remained one of the safest places in the country." At least five countries have warned their citizens against traveling to Cebu. The British Embassy in the Philippines released Wednesday a travel advisory, saying, "We advise against all travel to Cebu Province, as we believe that terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks." Within hours, separate advisories were issued by Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States. In response to the US travel warning, the task force chief said, "Possibly this advisory is more of a general statement," citing information from Interpol that there was no specific threat to Cebu. "Terrorism is a world-wide threat, we all know it's a threat that constantly hovers everywhere, whether in New York, Paris or London itself," said Cebu Province Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, when asked about the British travel advisory. "We must face the fact that all major events are always attractive venues. That's precisely why 5,000 police and other peace-keeping forces are in the local government units that are venues of the summit to ensure that delegates will be given adequate protection," the governor said. Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena said in his recent regular press conference that he remains confident the Cebu island is "very, very safe." According to local media reports, a confidential government threat assessment report cited groups that could pose a threat to the summit, including Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah and two Philippine groups, the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The report said intelligence agencies have not monitored any specific plots against the ASEAN events by al-Qaida-linked groups, but added such possibilities were not farfetched. "We have received information, but these are not validated threats," military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said. (Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2006) |
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