Not Good in Mexico

By Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press.OTTAWA -

Things are getting ugly in parts of Mexico, and the federal government is warning Canadians not to get caught in the crossfire..The Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday updated its travel report onMexico in light of the bloody drug cartel wars that have thrown somecities into chaos..It recommends Canadians "exercise a high degree of caution" whentravelling to areas in northern Mexico along the border with the UnitedStates..Cities like Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez have become the frontline of a warbetween the government and increasingly powerful drug cartels. Mexicotripled its military presence this week in Ciudad Juarez, where even thepolice chief and the mayor's family have left town.."Armed clashes between security forces and drug groups are commonplacein certain areas and could occur at any time without warning," thetravel report reads. "Travellers could get caught in the crossfire.".Last year, 20 per cent more Canadians travelled to Mexico than the yearbefore, rising to 1.4 million people.But the cities in question are not generally where Canadians travel.Snowbirds flock to the idyllic beaches of the Mayan Riviera, PuertoVallarta, Hualtuco and other resort towns..None of those locations were singled out in the travel report, althoughCabo San Lucas and Acapulco are located in states that were mentioned -Baja California and Guerrero.."You can see that certainly the conventional tourist spots, the majortourist locations, don't have any more risk involved than at normaltimes," Peter Kent, Canada's junior foreign minister, said in aninterview.."But there are parts of Mexico off the beaten path . . . where therehave been incidents lately, and they're itemized on the (departmental)website.".Kent called the advisory "really just a heads-up to remind folks thereare situations in Mexico that can be risky, if not dangerous, and thatpeople should think before they get into certain situations, certainlocations.".Brad Miron, vice-president of business development at itravel2000, saidpeople have to be careful not to paint the entire country with the samebrush. He noted that the troubles in Ciudad Juarez are thousands ofkilometres away from the swaying palm trees of Cancun.."I spend about three-and-a-half months a year in Mexico. The southernbeach resorts are ... like anywhere in the world. You have to take yourown precautions, you have to be aware of your surroundings and not letyour guard down," said Miron.."Mexico, on a per capital basis, is one of the safest places in theworld to travel.".The U.S. State Department has gone further than Canada, issuing a travelalert. It has told diplomatic staff to curtail all non-essential travelto Durango and other hotspots..It has also warned spring breakers to keep their wits about them whentravelling into volatile Mexican border towns.."Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana and Nogales are among the cities which haverecently experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shoppingcentres and other public venues," says the State Department.."Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens travelling in theirvehicles in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, andTijuana."