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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Notice to the Press
February 11, 1999

State Department Alerts Students to Risks of Overseas Travel

Each February, the Department of State distributes information to over 1,000 college and university newspapers to alert American students traveling abroad about conditions that may affect their safety. These include the dangers of alcohol abuse, crime, and drugs in foreign countries. We warn students about the hazards of drugs, and the risk of arrest for disorderly behavior connected with alcohol abuse. The information is part of the Department's effort to inform as many Americans as possible of hazards they may face outside the U.S. We endeavor to achieve as wide a distribution as possible to some of our most vulnerable travelers--young people going abroad, some of them for the first time.

The State Department urges college and university newspapers to use this information. We encourage them to consult the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs website, http://travel.state.gov for the latest travel safety information.

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