Amid a recent wave of anti-foreigner protests and killings in South Africa, the Hong Kong government has advised the public to exercise caution if travelling to the country.
With the designation of an amber alert, South Africa has joined Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and other countries deemed risky for visitors.
That hasn’t stopped many of us going to Boracay or Tokyo recently, mind you.
The Security Bureau has said that it will monitor the situation and issue updates through the media when appropriate.
The amber alert is the lowest, below a red alert, whereby travel adjustment is advised, and the black alert, reserved for the most serious situations. Syria is currently the only country with the black travel alert classification. Go figure.
South Africans are accusing foreign workers of stealing jobs and contributing to the high rate of unemployment. Poor policymaking and local leaders pushing fanatical remarks in the media have also done little to pacify the situation.
The string of xenophobic violence has so far been concentrated in Durban and Johannesburg. There have been seven confirmed fatalities (three South Africans and four foreigners), and hundreds of stores have been looted.
Many foreign nationals have been forced to flee to neighbouring Zimbabwe. However, thousands are still gathered in a temporary refugee camp, unable to leave the country.
Photo via Wikipedia
