Red Channel

A compendium of hazards facing today's traveller

This week: information from the Foreign Office on travelling to India.

India is generally calm and, apart from Jammu and Kashmir, major tourist destinations are quiet. Britons have been kidnapped in Delhi, most recently in 1994. Visitors should be wary of approaches by strangers. There is a low-intensity bombing campaign targeted at Indian markets and public transport in the northern part of Delhi. There have also been explosions on buses and trains in parts of northern India.

An increasing number of foreigners are being arrested in India for drug offences. Visitors should be aware that there are severe penalties for possession of even small amounts of narcotic substances. Visitors should seek medical advice about endemic diseases before travelling.

Visitors to India should be aware of travel touts who will try to convince them that it is safe to travel to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. No matter how convincing these touts appear to be, their advice should not be followed. We strongly advise against travel to this state. There is a serious risk of kidnapping, and there have recently been bombs targeted at trains and buses to Jammu and incidents in Jammu itself. Avoid travel to all parts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, apart from Ladakh; even there, avoid sensitive border areas where there has recently been trouble.

Contact the Travel Advice Unit on 0171-238 4503 or 4504, or fax 0171- 238 4545; on the Internet, at http://www.fco.gov.uk/ or on BBC-2 Ceefax from page 470 onwards.