I plan to go from Sumatra to Timor in June and July. Given
the political situation and the elections in June, is it
safe to travel down there ? Better to avoid Jakarta and
Timor ? Are all other islands really safe ?
Thanks,
Francois.
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I won't claim to be an expert on Indonesia having only ever been to Bali and Lombok. However, I can tell you living in Australia that we get regular detailed coverage of the social-political situation in Indonesia. From what I can gather there are trouble spots right throughout Indonesia which it would be best to avoid, especially during election time. I think you should be safe in most parts of the Archipelago as long as you avoid political rallies and gatherings, being particularly cautious around the cities.
I would stay away from Aceh in Sumatra, Jakarta (apparently not much to see anyway) and Borneo (a bit of good ol' headhunting going down In Kalimantan apparently. As for Timor, if you're talking about the Eastern part of the island, don't bother if you value your life. I don't think I'm being sensational - it is an unofficial civil war and I think the pro-Indonesia militias tend to view foreigners as do-gooders who support the Independence movement. You would be a nutter to go. Take care and have a good trip.
Go to one of the other fabulously beautiful countries in SEA and leave Indo until it gets sorted. Why put yourself through the stress? You never know when or where anything will break out, whether tourists will or will not be targeted.