In Reply to: Thoughts on the travel advisories posted by Ken Kurtis on June 27, 2005 at 13:32:28:

Not that I'm in agreement with North Coast Diver very often, but a travel advisory for Indonesia issued in late 2004 would be just as valid today. Since Indonesia achieved independence just after WWII, there have been many periods of extreme violence, in many places across the vast archipeligo. And I'm just talking about the pre- 9/11 era. There was a particularly nasty period in Northern Sulawesi around the late 1990s, when mob (and possibly military-sponsored) violence broke out between rival religious groups. The good news is that that particular outbreak seems to have been quelled for the time being by a peace accord reached in 2001.

The important thing when considering travel to Indonesia is the status of a specific area, at a specific point in time. It turns out that Manado is currently recognized as a rare haven for those seeking peace and tranquility. Many refugees from the violence around Poso, Sulawesi ended up in Manado and its environs.