US warns citizens to avoid travel to Honduras

[June 30, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department on Monday warned U.S. citizens to avoid all nonessential travel to Honduras due to the "current unstable political and security situation" there.

Noting the ouster on Sunday by the Honduran military of President Manuel Zelaya, the department in a statement late Monday also recommended that American citizens residing in and visiting Honduras remain close to their homes or hotels "unless their travel is of a life or death nature," or for a scheduled departure from Honduras. It urged U.S. citizens to restrict travel within the country to necessary trips. It said the U.S. Embassy has restricted the travel of its staff within Honduras to necessary trips. "There have been regular demonstrations at the presidential palace in central Tegucigalpa, and streets in the vicinity of many government offices are blocked by police or military," the statement said. "In general, the streets of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are quiet. Reports from the rest of the country indicate that calm prevails, although there have been cases of occasional roadblocks." [Associated Press] Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.