U.S. Embassy Notice to Americans

November 23, 2009

U.S. Embassy Jakarta
U.S. Consulate General Surabaya
U.S. Consulate Medan

Warden Message: Shooting incident in Banda Aceh, North Sumatra, Indonesia

November 23, 2009

Notice to Americans concerning the November 23, 2009 shooting incident in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, the third involving foreigners and the first involving Americans in that area.  Banda Aceh is at the extreme northern tip of Sumatra island, about 1140 miles northwest of Jakarta.  There are no American casualties.  U.S. Embassy Jakarta provides the following guidance to Americans in that area.   

1.  Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate Medan has visited Banda Aceh, and Regional Security Officer, U.S. Embassy Jakarta will soon follow.  U.S. officials are in touch with GOI authorities, locally and in Jakarta.  We continue to monitor the situation.

2.  We have no information to believe that there is any organized anti American or anti foreign movement afoot. 

3.  We have been in touch with other nation's embassies and international organizations in Indonesia concerning attacks against their nationals and interests in the Banda Aceh area.

4.  Regardless of the motives behind these attacks, we collectively have informed the GOI that we look to it to provide for the security of all persons, including Americans, who are in Indonesia.

5.  We continue to urge Americans to take an active role in providing for their security and wellbeing; to register with us; to vary their routines, to be aware of their surroundings and know with whom they are dealing; to check their residence and workplace for security and safety threats; to refrain from traveling at night; to maintain a low profile; and to have suitable insurance coverage should they need to seek medical care in Indonesia or abroad.

Americans living and traveling in Indonesia are urged to register and update their contact information with the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, U.S. Consulate Medan or U.S. Consular Agency in Bali.  Registration facilitates the U.S. Mission’s contact with Americans in emergency situations, and may be done on line and in advance of travel.  Information on registering can be found at the U.S. Department of State’s Consular Affairs website at http://travelregistration.state.gov and at the Embassy’s website at http://jakarta.usembassy.gov.  All Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, Worldwide Cautions, and recent warden messages are posted on the Embassy website.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov , where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, and health-information resources can be found.  Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada, or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The Embassy is located at Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 4-5, Jakarta; the 24-hour telephone number is 62-21-3435-9000.  The telephone number of the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya is 62-31-295-6400; the number for the U.S. Consulate in Medan is 62-61-451-9000; the number for the U.S. Consular Agency in Bali is 62-361-233-605.