House of Lords written question – answered at on 10 March 2009.
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what local advice the recent decision was based to discourage United Kingdom citizens from visiting Madagascar; to what extent the decision was based on the incidence of riots and the deaths of citizens from gunfire other than in Antananarivo and Toliara; and whether there was evidence of those disturbances in the north of the country.
On
Almost all international travellers arrive and leave Madagascar via Antananarivo, which has, of course, been the focal point for the recent demonstrations between the Government of President Ravalomanana and former-Mayor of Antananarivo Andry Rajoelina's opposition. Although tourists were not specifically targeted, outbursts did occur in the vicinity of hotels and areas in which tourists could potentially be situated.
The safety of British Citizens travelling overseas is our overriding concern and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's travel advice is written with this in mind. The decision to advise against all or all but essential travel is not taken lightly and is ultimately made at ministerial level, with input from our overseas network and consular advisers using their expertise to take a global perspective on such crises. The political situation in Madagascar was highly volatile, with the opposition openly stating an intent to overthrow the Government, possibly through means of mass protests and seizures of government property. During periods of unrest such as these we review our travel advice at least once a day.
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