|
|
  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Terror threat closes Australia's Manila embassy
By Grant Holloway
CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- Australia has closed its embassy in the Philippines and put 24-hour security patrols on the Sydney Harbor Bridge amid growing fears of fresh terrorist threats. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a statement late Wednesday saying it had closed the Manila embassy following "credible and specific information" regarding a terrorist threat to the mission. Australians were also advised not to travel to the Philippines until further notice and those already in the Southeast Asian nation should exercise caution when in public places. Australia has been on an increased terror alert for more than a week, with international landmarks such as the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House considered potential targets for attack. Security has been stepped up in key areas, with guards now constantly patrolling the footways of the harbor bridge and security checks and vehicle access to the opera house now restricted. Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said Thursday an attack on the embassy in Manila could occur within days. Downer said he would not reveal more information about the threat because it could jeopardize the intelligence sources. "I thought the only sensible and safe thing to do was to close the embassy for the time being," Downer said. "[It's] obviously a temporary closure, not a permanent closure, of our embassy. "The staff are going to remain in the Philippines and we'll have consular operations working out of an office or a hotel room elsewhere in the city." Downer earlier this week told media that heightened travel alerts to Southeast Asian nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines would remain in place until it was clear that sufficient measure had been taken to reduce the terror threat in those countries. (Travel warnings to stay) More than 180 people were killed when terrorist bombs tore through an entertainment district on Bali on October 12. About half of those killed were Australian tourists. The Australian embassy in Singapore was also included in part of a thwarted terrorist bomb plot earlier this year. It is not known if the terror threats on Australian soil and the Manila embassy threats are linked because the intelligence comes from different sources, Downer said. The Philippines travel warning advised Australian who chose to stay in the country to "exercise extreme caution throughout the country, including in Mindanao and coastal resorts," and to be alert to the dangers of kidnapping. Several terror groups, some with suspected links to al Qaeda, operate in the Philippines and there have been a series of deadly bombings, kidnappings and other attacks against both government and civilian targets. Bin Laden warning
"Further bomb explosions are possible across the country, including in Manila," the warning says. "Australians in the Philippines should avoid demonstrations and street protests in the capital and other urban areas. " Australia was one of a list of U.S. allies named earlier this month as possible targets for terrorist attacks in a tape attributed to Osama bin Laden. The voice on the tape said Australia had been warned against participating in the assault on Afghanistan to hunt down bin Laden and punish his Taliban protectors but it had ignored the warning until "it woke up to the sound of explosions in Bali." Australian Prime Minister John Howard has been one of the strongest supporters of the U.S.-led war on terrorism.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
