§ Mr. ConnartyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's travel advice on Indonesia. [76174]
§ Mr. StrawOn the night of Saturday 12 October, as soon as we heard of the atrocity in Bali, we recommended against all travel to Bali and all but essential travel to elsewhere in Indonesia.
In the light of further information and consideration, I have now agreed that we should advise against all travel to Indonesia and recommend that all British citizens should consider leaving Indonesia if their presence is not essential.
I have also authorised the withdrawal of some dependants and non-essential staff from the British Embassy in Jakarta.
British citizens who remain should exercise extreme caution especially in public places, including clubs, restaurants, bars, schools, places of worship, outdoor recreational venues and other locations frequented by foreigners.
Baroness Amos, Foreign Office Minister responsible for consular issues, will arrive in Bali this evening, where she will meet with British nationals, their families and friends caught up in this terrible incident. She will also be talking to senior members of the Indonesian Government in Jakarta on Saturday both to discuss the operation in Bali and how to strengthen our co-operation against international terrorism.
We have a 24 hour operation on the ground in Bali, made up of consular officers, police officers trained in family liaison, and volunteers. We will be reinforcing this team further.
We are also revising our travel advice for a range of other South East Asian countries to highlight the need for vigilance given the ongoing risk of terrorist activity.