http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4188501.html

Sept. 15, 2006, 1:03AM
Ambassador urges caution by U.S. travelers to Mexico

Associated Press

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza issued a message Thursday advising U.S. citizens to exercise extreme caution when traveling in Mexico because of "the rising level of brutal violence" south of the Rio Grande.

The message stopped short of warning travelers not to visit Mexico. But it warned them to stick to well-known tourist destinations and main roads and refrain from displaying expensive-looking jewelry.

"The bottom line is that we simply cannot allow drug traffickers to place in jeopardy the lives of our citizens and the safety of our communities," Garza said in a statement. "Together, we can restore order and successfully take on those who are undermining our society, culture, and institutions."

Garza singled out Nuevo Laredo as being particularly dangerous.

He reported that this week, armed men went into a Nuevo Laredo hotel and held up 25 people who were going to work for a Texas-based company, assaulting and threatening to kill them.