India Brushes Off US Travel Advisory on Manipur as Routine
The Indian government has termed the recent update by the US State Department, which advised its citizens against traveling to Manipur and other places in India, as a "routine matter." The Ministry of External Affairs responded to the related question in its weekly briefing, saying that this happens quite often between countries.
According to the MEA spokesperson, “The US travel advisory is a routine matter. Any country can issue such advisories, and we view it as part of the norm. We also issue travel advisories ourselves.”
The US State Department’s revised advisory, issued yesterday, cautions against travelling to Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, the India-Pakistan border, and certain areas in central and eastern India where Maoist groups are active. The advisory places Manipur at “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” with risks of violence and crime emanating from the ongoing ethnic conflicts and frequent attacks on government targets. The US Department of State also pointed out that US government employees require prior approval for travel to Manipur.
The State Department also highlighted that the US government has limited capacity to offer emergency services in India’s rural areas, which extend from eastern Maharashtra and northern Telangana to western West Bengal. American government employees must secure special authorisation to visit these regions.
