Western countries warn tourists against visiting Northeast

GUWAHATI, March 7: A number of Western nations have officially warned their citizens not to venture into Northeast, including Assam, citing "civil unrest, insurgent attacks and political killings" occuring in the region. The warning, also posted on government websites of these countries, has evoked a sharp response within the Northeast tourism industry. Apart from recommending remedial measures, the industry here has also blamed the ministry of external affairs and some of the big Indian tour operators for their failure to present the correct picture of the prevailing security situation in Assam and the rest of the Northeast. The United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and Japan are some of the countries that have advised its citizens to this efect. The Japanese Embassy in New Delhi has issued a "red alert" to all Assam-bound Japanese tourists asking them to refrain from visiting the state. The Japanese government feels that the law and order situation in Assam is far from allright. What has led to sharp criticism among tour operators in the region are the comments on the Northeast posted on official websites of the British foreign office and some other European Union countries. One website says: "Civil unrest is also occuring in the Northeast. Official sources encourage putting off holidays or business travels to the states of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur, and due caution should be exercised if travelling in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram." Another website says: "As militant groups are operating in Northeast states, we advise against all holiday and other non-essential travel to Manipur and Tripura, as well as Assam, particularly in the run up to elections in early 2001." The All Assam Tour Operators Association has dashed off a letter to Indian tourism minister Ananth Kumar on Monday, March 5, saying that the image of the Northeast as projected abroad has resulted in a major setback to promote states with potential like Assam as a tourist destination. The Association has put up a number of recommendations to the tourism ministry. These include sending out latest updates to the Indian missions abroad on the tourist spots in the Northeast and the latest security situation; asking the ministry of home affairs to ease the process for issuance of no-objection certificates to foreign tourists wanting to visit the region; organising a familiarisation tour of the region for officials of foreign embassies based in New Delhi and introduction of three international flights every week from the Guwahati airport.