@Keyser, I have no status with 9W, but have about 3K or so 9W miles. Do I qualify to sign up?

sign away....

Sounds like my morning and nice post.

Will do Sir.

:D:D

I usually get travel alerts for places I am visiting on official trips and as I live in India, I also get all alerts for India..
This is what I got today ..

QUOTE ''
India: Brief kidnapping, assault of female Chinese tourist illustrative of risks posed by confidence tricksters

The authorities on 2 May arrested three Railway Police Force (RPF) officers for attempting to kidnap and sexually assault two Chinese female travellers on the previous day in the city of Amritsar, a popular tourist destination in the northern state of Punjab. Two of the perpetrators had befriended the victims on the Jaipur (Rajasthan state)-Amritsar Express train. They promised to facilitate the latter's itinerary in Amritsar, where they were joined by two other men before the group travelled in a vehicle towards the eastern outskirts of the city.

Media reports indicate that one of the victims got suspicious of their companions' motive and exited the vehicle at a gas station on Mehta Road, though the RPF officers sped away with the other tourist. The hostage, who was subsequently found abandoned late on 1 May at Mehta Chowk, approximately 40 miles (64km) east of Amritsar, claimed that the assailants had assaulted her before leaving. The police on 3 May handed over both women to the Chinese embassy in the capital Delhi. A search is under way for the fourth assailant.

Comment and Analysis
The incident is a reminder of the risks posed by opportunistic criminals and confidence tricksters, who often entice foreign visitors with offers of cheap transport, guided tours or affordable hotel accommodation. Such scams usually entail an increased risk of robbery and sexual assault in the case of female travellers. Although the country is generally safe for female travellers, visitors have routinely complained about low-level verbal harassment, known locally as ‘eve-teasing'. Female tourists travelling by themselves are at a higher risk of exposure to such abuse and criminality. Petty and opportunistic criminals are mostly active at popular tourist sites and during festivals and public holidays, when large crowds take to the streets. Although police officers are typically quick to respond to crimes against foreigners, their presence outside of major urban areas is limited and often inefficient.

A Spanish female tourist on 1 April was allegedly sexually assaulted by a local man in the town of Pushkar in Rajasthan state. The police arrested the assailant, who had reportedly offered the victim fruit juice spiked with drugs before committing the crime. Earlier on 21 March, an Australian woman was reportedly molested by a local in Delhi. The victim, who was visiting the city with her husband, had become acquainted with the perpetrator over dinner. She was assaulted while accompanying the assailant who had offered to drive the tourist to her hotel. The police' capacity to respond promptly to crimes against foreigners, particularly outside urban areas, is hindered due to lack of training at the lower levels and language barriers. As such, confidence tricksters as well as petty and opportunistic criminals will continue to pose the main threat to foreigners, including female travellers, in the country.

Travel Advice
Take sensible security precautions to mitigate the risk of petty crime, particularly pickpocketing and bag-snatching.
Be aware that confidence tricksters may target foreigners. Be wary of strangers and their motives and firmly decline offers of assistance or services from strangers or casual acquaintances.
Where possible, travel longer distances by air. Where air travel is not a viable option, travel by rail is preferable to long car journeys.
If travelling by rail, use first- and second-class air-conditioned coaches only to ensure comfort, mitigate the risk of opportunistic petty crime, and in the case of female travellers, the risk of harassment.
Official taxis are a suitable means of travel in daylight hours in urban areas. It is preferable to arrange taxis through your hotel, local office or host company, and to agree a price in advance. Personnel should arrange a car and driver through their hotel or company for all other journeys.
Although harassment of and sexual assaults on foreign women in major cities and tourist locations do occur, these are exceptions rather than a rule. Sensible precautions are nonetheless necessary, such as not travelling alone after dark, carrying a mobile phone programmed with useful contact numbers at all times, and watching your drink in bars and nightclubs to avoid being drugged.
If sensible precautions are taken, India is a generally safe, if not entirely comfortable, environment for female travellers. Women are advised to carry a scarf/shawl and wear loose-fitting clothing that covers the chest, arms to the elbow, and legs. Maintain a formal tone with men not known to you. Avoid travel after dark without a trusted male companion.
This list is not exhaustive, please visit the country's Standing travel advice for further information.

'' UNQUOTE

not to condone this behaviour and i am glad the ladies are safe, not to blame the victim but how many of us travel to a foreign country and hop in a vehicle with people we have just met. that is just asking for trouble - not just in India but anywhere in the world.

glad the advisory took a balanced approach and pointed out that India is safe and hope that travellers across the world use their heads to keep themselves out of trouble because lets face it there are bad elements out there

+1 ..

True.

Which country sent this out, btw?

It seems more comprehensive and informative than the ones I have been receiving...

Its come from International SOS not from a specific country.. We get it when we are on official travel for foreign countries and sometimes also for the country we live in..

Interesting - might be worth subscribing to...

Is there an automatic link to your travel plans??

hmmm...All my travel needs to be booked thru corp TA and I guess this gets activated as soon as ticketing is done or maybe when travel insurance is activated..frankly dont know more about this :o
This is the companies link ..http://www.internationalsos.com/en/

Per TOI, a survey says 50% of green card holders are expected to return to India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/w...ow/8161107.cms

Anybody here contemplating that? I know Keyser has, can you shed some light on your reasons if possible? I know lots of older folks who retire in India as they can easily live on the social security. I have often thought about, but as days pass by I am getting soft and becoming more reluctant.

my grandparents & my mother were american citizens so when i was born back in the 70s they initially offered me american citizenship as well....my parents declined this since my mother had moved to india after marriage & was in the process of surrendering her american passport....so they ended up giving both my mother & me green cards....

fast forward some 25 odd years into the future & i started to find it extremely difficult to keep up with the green card travel requirements....i decided it wasn't worth it since i was never going to live in the US so i gave it up....

i still remember the look on their faces when i told them i was voluntarily giving up my green card....they didn't seem to believe me at first....