Thursday, October 07, 2010

Foreign ministry issues low-level travel alert for Sweden

Taipei, Oct. 7 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a low-level travel alert for Sweden over concerns of possible terrorist attacks, a ministry official said Thursday.

The gray alert -- the lowest on the ministry's four-color system -- came after the Swedish Security Service changed its five-scale terrorist attack threat from the second grade of "low threat" to the third level of "elevated threat, " Thomas Chen, director-general of the Bureau of Consular Affairs under the ministry, said in a press briefing.

A gray level alert advises tourists to "travel with caution."

Threat of a terrorist attack in Sweden is still lower than that in some European countries, and an "elevated threat" doesn't mean a terrorist attack is imminent, Chen said, adding that "however, Sweden has never been considered the target of a terrorist attack before."

In related news, the ministry said the travel alert for Thailand remained at the second-lowest yellow level, which advises tourists to travel with caution and reconsider their itinerary.

According to the ministry, four Thai provinces -- Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Prathum Thani -- were still in a state of emergency and the possibility of an extremist attack in the Southeast Asian country remains high. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc