New Zealand has warned travellers of an “extreme risk” of terrorism in India highlighting New Delhi, the venue for the October Commonwealth Games, as a target.
The travel warning, reviewed Saturday, followed similar advice from the US embassy in India which said there were increased indications of imminent attacks. The New Zealand government said there was a significant terrorist threat in India and “heightened concerns that terrorists are planning attacks in New Delhi.”
“New Zealanders are strongly advised to avoid market areas of New Delhi in coming days and weeks,” the advisory added. The warning also said there was an “extreme risk to your security in Jammu, Kashmir, Tripura, Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and along the India-Pakistan international border”, advising against travel in those areas.
New Zealanders living or travelling in India should have comprehensive medical and travel insurance policies that included provision for medical evacuation by air, the warning said. Security concerns about the forthcoming Commonwealth Games were stoked in April when two low-intensity bombs went off at a cricket stadium in the southern city of Bangalore ahead of an Indian Premier League match.
New Zealand cricket representative Ross Taylor was in the ground at the time. In February, a bomb exploded in a packed restaurant popular with travellers in the western Indian city of Pune, killing 16 people, including five foreigners.
Wellington, May 2, 2010 (AFP)
