Americans in Asia on alert for Iraq war backlash

Americans in Asia on alert for Iraq war backlash

Roberto Coloma, Agence France-Presse, Singapore

With a new war in Iraq looming on the horizon, U.S. embassies,
military bases, schools and companies in the Asia-Pacific region
are bracing for a potentially violent anti-American backlash.

Security for hundreds of thousands of U.S. civilians,
diplomats and servicemen in the region has been stepped up since
the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S. and last October's Bali
bombings, but Washington is taking no chances.

The State Department issued a "worldwide caution" on Feb. 6
reminding U.S. citizens of a "heightened risk" of terrorist
attacks including suicide operations, assassinations or
kidnappings. It cited a "growing threat" that non-conventional
weapons including chemical or biological agents might be used.

With security now hardened at U.S. facilities, Americans were
warned that attacks may be aimed at "softer" targets such as
residential areas, restaurants, places of worship, schools,
hotels, outdoor recreation events and beaches.

Various security measures have been drawn up by U.S.
facilities in the region against terrorist threats and other
emergencies, with host governments providing additional
protection:
-- In Singapore, Gurkha sentries help guard the fortified U.S.
embassy, the Singapore American School, which has 3,000 students,
and the American Club.

"The situation is being assessed constantly, and should there
be a need, the level of vigilance can be stepped up further,"
said Singapore's ministry of home affairs.

There are about 15,000 American residents in Singapore and
some 1,500 U.S. companies operate in the city-state, long reputed
to be an expatriate safe haven. But complacency was shattered
after Singapore said it had uncovered terrorist cells plotting to
bomb U.S. and other foreign targets.
-- In Malaysia, some 11,000 to 12,000 Americans are living in the
Muslim-majority country, where anti-American sentiment has been
fanned by U.S. threats to attack Iraq.

"We're telling people they should always have medical records,
school records, financial records, passports and money handy in
the event they would have to return to the U.S. immediately,"
U.S. embassy spokesman Frank Whittaker said, but he stressed that
"we have full confidence in the Malaysian government."
-- In Hong Kong, where some 32,000 U.S. nationals reside,
Americans have also been advised to keep vital documents ready.

Police patrol the vicinity of the U.S. consulate, as well as
other U.S. institutions, but a police spokesman said the assessed
terror risk level remained on the low side of moderate.
-- The Philippines, a former U.S. colony, hosts some 120,000
American nationals. It is troubled by communist rebels and Moro
separatists and bandits.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Karen Kelley said the mission was
continuously evaluating the situation, and the State Department
has a standing warning to avoid certain areas where Moro groups
allegedly linked to al-Qaeda operate.
-- An estimated 10,000-11,000 U.S. citizens live in Indonesia,
the world's largest Muslim country. After the Bali bombings in
October some 350 embassy staff and families were evacuated and
about 95 staffers remain.

The embassy closed for six days last September over a reported
threat from the al-Qaeda network. A concrete barricade was
installed to seal off part of the main street outside the
compound when it reopened.

Leading international schools in Jakarta closed for two weeks
last November over reported terrorist threats. They were heavily
guarded by armed police and private security staff when they
reopened.
-- In largely Muslim Pakistan, where armed militants have
targetted Westerners, the U.S. Embassy has been without
dependents and non-essential staff since March 2002, when a U.S.
Embassy employee's wife and her daughter were killed in a grenade
attack on a church in Islamabad.

The U.S. Embassy has tightened security since September 2001,
and only a few hundred American citizens remain in the country.
The U.S. consulate in Karachi has been operating out of a secret
location since August.
-- In Japan, the U.S. Embassy provides alerts to some 100,000
citizens and 60,000 military personnel and their families through
an e-mail and phone network, while U.S. military facilities are
guarded by Japanese police.

In an emergency, representatives at local schools, churches
and business organizations are informed first, and are tasked
with contacting their members. The system has been used more
frequently since September 2001 and the Bali blasts, an embassy
spokeswoman said.
-- In South Korea, where around 100,000 U.S. citizens, including
37,000 troops, reside, U.S. Embassy officials say they have been
informing their nationals of any potential security threats
through media.

"We do have an emergency plan, already set up long time ago,
to safely evacuate U.S. citizens in case of a really serious
threat," an embassy spokesman said.
-- In New Delhi, U.S. Embassy spokesman Gordon Duguid said as
many as 60,000 American passport holders could be in India at any
given time.

He said the embassy had no plans for evacuating U.S. nationals
but added that the State Department had issued several travel
warnings concerning India.
-- The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok estimates 16,500 Americans reside
in Thailand, with up to 16,000 additional American tourists in
the country at any one time.