Australia postpones Malaysia events over terror fears
KUALA LUMPUR — Australia announced today the postponement of two national events planned for Malaysia because of growing fears of regional terror attacks on its citizens in the wake of the Bali bombing.
An exhibition promoting Australia as a destination for higher education and an Australian Film Festival, both planned for Kuala Lumpur later this month, had been indefinitely delayed, acting High Commissioner Nic Brown said in a statement.
"Following the Bali bombings of October 12, the Australian government has received new information about possible generic threats in the region," he said, pointing out travel advisories for several countries had been upgraded.
"I sincerely regret that we have had to make this decision," Brown said.
Exercise extreme caution
He noted that the Australian government's recently revised travel advice on Malaysia, which neighbours Indonesia where the Bali bomb killed nearly 200 people a week ago, urges Australians to avoid large public gatherings and exercise extreme caution.
Australia, which suffered the greatest casualties in Bali, has twice upgraded its travel alert since the bombings.
It now urges travellers to be on heightened alert in Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. — AFP
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