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.