Lingle trip includes tight security
| • | Special: Governor in Indonesia |
| • | Governor hoping to tap Indonesia as disaster ally |
By Mary Vorsino
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Security around the governor will be tight in Indonesia, a country with known al-Qaida-linked terrorist cells.
The governor's security detail will be substantial.
"We will have sufficient and appropriate security," Gov. Linda Lingle said.
The security has somewhat limited the governor's freedom in the country. She said the biggest difference from previous trips to Japan and the Philippines is that she will not make public appearances in markets or other difficult-to-secure public venues.
Most of her time in Indonesia will be spent in meetings with leaders. "This will be a much different trip than the previous trips I was on," she said.
The U.S. State Department's travel advisory for Indonesia warns Americans to weigh the risks of traveling to the country.
Previous attacks aimed at foreigners in Indonesia include:
"Terrorist attacks in Indonesia could occur at any time and could be directed against any location," the State Department said.
The governor said she knows the risks of traveling to the country and is confident enough precautions have been taken.
She also pointed out that she has been to places which required high security.
In February 2004, she traveled to Iraq with then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as part of a bipartisan delegation of governors. And three months later, she went to Israel with a 27-member group. Security on those trips was also tight, she said.
Lingle has also traveled to China, Japan and the Philippines as governor.
Meanwhile, Lingle said she has twice before been to Indonesia, once as mayor of Maui County in the 1990s and a second time in 2000 as head of the Hawai'i Republican Party, where she lectured at the International Republican Institute.
Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.
