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> -----Original Message----- > From: Bruce Sherman [mailto:bruce.s@co*.co*.nz*] > Does anyone have any experience diving Chuuk laggon fron the SS Thorfin. If > so do they support DIR and did you get Helium out to Chuuk ? No, but on a regional note .... Today we (20 of us) cancelled our trip to Guadacanal. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (which goes by the magnificently monikered "DFAT") has issued it's strongest possible warning to Australians NOT to travel to the Solomon Islands. http://www.dfat.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Solomon_Islands Clipping as follows: > Australians are advised to defer all holiday travel to Solomon Islands. > Australians planning travel outside Honiara, to rural Guadalcanal and other > provinces, are advised to contact the Australian High Commission for an update > on the security situation prior to travel. Australians in Solomon Islands > should maintain a high level of personal security awareness and monitor > developments that might affect their safety. > > Safety and Security > > While the implementation of the Townsville Peace Agreement is underway, and > roadblocks have been removed from around Honiara and on rural Guadalcanal, the > peace remains fragile and large numbers of weapons remain in the hands of > former combatants. Criminal activity threatening personal security is now the > main danger faced by foreigners. The rebel/rascol element there is reportedly out of control outside of Honiara and it's currently not safe. Not content to trust some government flunkeys we got in touch with the friend of a friend living over their who painted us an even worse picture than the official report. He lives behind an 8 ft razor wire fence with armed guards, dogs, a side arm and he thinks it's " a bit rough at the moment" We have been trying without success to get an email out of the local dive operation for 2 weeks , the local tour operator apparently hasn't had calls returned for about the same time, the dive boat we were supposed to be on in September is reported to have been stolen by pirates ... it sounds like the final scenes of Apocalypse Now :-) If you are planning a trip to the Solomons, take a good hard look before getting on the plane. BTW ... Apocryphal story maybe ? I heard that the week before the 16 divers were taken hostage in Sipodan, Malaysia ... the previous week the resort was full of all the top brass from PADI on a world conference. Lost opportunity ? ;-p regards *** dean laffan real world productions melbourne, australia ph +613-9419-3966 Mobile - 0418-525-315 It said on the box: 'Requires Windows 95 or better' ... so I bought a Mac ! -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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