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Note: The following text is a quote: YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report Warden Message: Belgrade Expatriates Experiencing Attacks CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS Europe - Serbia 25 Sep 2009 U.S. Embassy Belgrade issues the following Warden Message September 25: The U.S. Embassy wishes to alert American Citizens to a recent spate of crimes affecting the expatriate community in Belgrade. The Regional Security Office (RSO) states that trends involving physical assaults and gun violence remain a threat to foreigners. The RSO wishes to highlight the some recent criminal events: · On September 16, 2009, a British...

Of all the people who said during the past eight years that they'd had it with the United States, that they were leaving the country, these are the ones who really did move to Canada. ...snip... "In Seattle, I was pretty far to the left," Kertes recalled. In Vancouver "a lot of times I'm the most conservative person in the room. I'll say something in a group and I'll be prepared for someone to say, 'You're so radical,' but (in Vancouver), it's not considered unusual. I sort of miss feeling special in that way."

The Zogby results are shocking – especially compared to the entire U.S. population (now about 303,116,000). The numbers below are for households, not individuals. • 1.6 million U.S. households already decided to move offshore and are headed in that direction. • Another 1.8 million households are seriously considering moving and are likely to do it. Many have taken preliminary steps. • 7.7 million households are “somewhat seriously” considering moving and “may” do it. • Nearly 3 million households are seriously considering buying a vacation home or other property outside the United States. Another 10 million are “somewhat” seriously considering it....

Congress increases the ransom expats must pay to escape the taxman QUEUES of frustrated foreigners crowd many an American consulate around the world hoping to get into the United States. Less noticed are the heavily taxed American expatriates wanting to get out—by renouncing their citizenship. In Hong Kong just now, they cannot. “Please note that this office cannot accept renunciation applications at this time,” the consulate's website states. Apart from sounding like East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the closure is unfortunately timed. Because of pending legislation on President Bush's desk that is expected to become law...

An Expat’s Guide to Participatory Democracy Rupert Pupkin One of the dangers of living abroad is that one may eventually slip into a disconnected state in which paying taxes and other rights and responsibilities of citizenship are displaced by a rootless enthusiasm for foot massages. The nation seems to be getting on quite well without his input, the expat reasons, it’s still somewhat powerful and wealthy, so perhaps the best thing he can do to ensure its perpetuation is to keep out of internal debates and contribute to its greatness through neglect. If a bad guy gets to be president,...

President Bush recently signed the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Act of 2008, aka, the HEART bill. Hidden in the bill is new taxation on those who renounce their citizenship. The bill specifically calls for taxation on the net unrealized gain in their property, as if the property had been sold. Call it the "Hotel Calfornia" Tax, checkout any time you want, but a good chunk of your money can't leave. The first $600,000 in estimated net worth is exempt, then the tax kicks in at regular rates. Thus, this tax creates the potential for huge taxable phantom gains, with...

In countries of the Third World, you often find American men in their fifties or sixties who have wives twenty or twenty-five years younger. In my considerable experience, they seem happy together. However, the arrangement upsets people back in the US. Why, I wonder? A couple of upsettances are common. The first, from feminists, holds that the man is exploiting the woman sexually (a flattering thought to a man in his sixties; more likely, she wishes he were) or that he wants a docile and pliable woman. The view springs from the common notion among American women that a female...

A lot of people probably can't understand why someone would voluntarily give up American citizenship -- but if someone wanted to do that, they'd now incur financial penalties for it. Congress just passed a new law that will stop your capital -- or at least a good portion of it -- at the border, should you decide not to be a U.S. citizen anymore. Is it, perhaps, in preparation for the possibility that Americans might rebel at the debt and taxes incurred by their government by leaving for lower-tax locales? You probably didn't notice this little provision inserted into the...

Do you believe the tax system should be used to punish people with unpopular views? One of old Soviet Union's actions that was most heavily and correctly criticized by human-rights activists both left and right was its confiscation of the wealth of those who chose to leave the U.S.S.R. The right to emigrate is considered by civilized people to be a basic human right. Regretfully and embarrassingly, the U.S. Congress has just passed a law that places a higher tax burden (and in some cases wealth confiscation) on those who choose to permanently leave the United States, and may make...

For millions of Europeans who braved the Atlantic Ocean for a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and dreams of a lavish life, there was little thought of ever emigrating back. Yet for a new generation of Americans of European descent, the Old Country is becoming a new country full of promise and opportunity. The creation of the European Union and its thriving economy is very appealing for Americans in a global economy. "With an EU passport, I can live and work in 27 countries," said Suzanne Mulvehill of Lake Worth. "With a U.S. passport, I can live and work...

MEXICO CITY — This year, for the first time, expatriate Democrats can cast their ballots on the Internet in a presidential primary for people living outside the United States. Democrats Abroad, an official branch of the party representing overseas voters, will hold its first global presidential preference primary from Feb. 5 to 12, with ex-pats selecting the candidate of their choice by Internet as well as fax, mail and in-person at polling places in more than 100 countries. Democrats Abroad is particularly proud of the online voting option — which provides a new alternative to the usual process of voting...

PARIS: Nicolas Sarkozy is rolling out the welcome mat for thousands of rich French people who fled one of Europe's most onerous tax regimes. Few may heed his call. In his first economic act as president, Sarkozy is pushing a tax law to lure back wealthy exiles such as the rock star Johnny Hallyday and members of the Mulliez clan, who control the French retailer Groupe Auchan. The measure will allow more exemptions on the "wealth" tax, the bête noire of the rich, and cap the total individual tax rate at 50 percent of income.....

President George W. Bush said Cubans "on the island" ought to decide what kind of government and future they want before US-based exiles take up grievances like property confiscated under the communist Fidel Castro regime. "Our desire is for the Cuban people to be able to choose their own form of government," he said. The US leader declared that while "Cuba has the possibility of transforming itself from a tyrannical situation to a different type of society ... the people on the island of Cuba ought to decide" how that change occurs. "Once the people of Cuba decide the form...

The U.S. Navy's evacuation of Lebanon is done. Now, the focus is on delivering humanitarian aid to the Lebanese. At the center of the effort: the Navy's giant, super-quick catamaran. Until recently, the experimental, Australian-built HSV-2 Swift was working as a mine warfare command and control ship. But with "its enormous 28,000 square foot mission deck, the ability to traverse littoral waters, the capability of handling speeds in excess of 40 knots, and maneuverability that doesn't require tugboat assistance," as Navy Newsstand notes, the catamaran was a natural for the Lebanese operation. "The vessel has the cargo space of about...

American Navy sailors use a military radio as American citizens stand on board an LCU (Landing Craft Utility) at a beach in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, July 21, 2006, to be taken to the USS Trenton, which will evacuate 2,000 Americans to Cyprus. The United States prepared to ship about 5,000 Americans from Beirut Friday to nearly complete the evacuation of its citizens from Lebanon as the international exodus reached a peak. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)An American Navy sailor carries an American girl as they board an LCU (Landing Craft Utility) at a beach in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, July 21, 2006, as...

LANARCA, Cyprus — It could be a long trip to Ottawa for Prime Minister Stephen Harper if he decides to mix with the Lebanese evacuees he is ferrying home. "It was a horrible trip," one after another describe their 13-hour voyage from Beirut to Cyprus when they disembark in the scorching heat here. "People were vomiting, there were no beds, the toilets with filthy. "There was no air conditioning and they ran out of water," one young women told reporters before storming on board the waiting buses laid on by the Canadian government. The arrival of the Blue Dawn, the...

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2006 – Military aircraft and sea vessels will evacuate more than 4,000 Americans from Lebanon today, DoD officials said. Officials expect the USS Trenton, the USS Whidbey Island and the contract carrier Rahmah to carry around 4,200 American citizens to safety, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Gary Keck said. The Navy ships will carry evacuees to Cyprus, and the Rahmah will carry roughly 1,400 Americans to Mersin, Turkey. Cypriot officials said they expect roughly 60,000 evacuees of all nationalities in the country, and the evacuation is straining its resources. Turkey has offered the seaport of Mersin as an...

Whiners: Find your own way out of Beirut After being rescued from war zone, a little gratitude would be nice The Edmonton Journal Fri 21 Jul 2006 Page: A18 Section: Opinion Byline: Lorne Gunter Aw, the boat ride was too long, was it? And you say it was too hot? There was no doctor on board, either? And the departure was delayed. And the port was chaotic. And too little food and water had been laid in. And some of you had to sleep on the floor!? Oh, the indignity of it. To listen to the whining and carping...

MANAMA, Bahrain - U.S. military medical personnel, either on standby or already aboard ships, will act as first responders in the assisted departure of American citizens from Lebanon. One U.S. Navy physician and two corpsmen from Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) Kuwait, are aboard the civilian cruise vessel Orient Queen as it ferries passengers to the safety of Lanarca, Cyprus, said Capt. Vernon Morgan, force surgeon at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain. The U.S. Air Force has also stationed one physician and two medics at the entry points where American citizens are arriving in Cyprus. A 23-member Air Force...

NORFOLK - More than 1,000 American citizens were plucked off a beach in Beirut by landing craft today and transported out to sea and the safety of the Norfolk-based amphibious transport dock Nashville. The ship then took them to Cyprus 140 miles away to board commercial aircraft for home. A similar long day is planned again Friday for the Nashville and at least three other Norfolk-based amphibious ships that were scheduled to join in the evacuations. "It's like a giant slumber party," Capt. Dee Mewbourne, the Nashville's commanding officer, said by satellite telephone today.

From Lebanese Canadians, a thank you to Stephen Harper National Post Thursday, July 20, 2006 What follows is a statement released jointly by six Canadian Lebanese organizations on Wednesday. We, the undersigned, representatives of the six Lebanese organizations listed below, extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Canadian government, represented by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter MacKay, for the correct, just and prompt positions they have taken with regard to Lebanon and the unfortunate military confrontations that are occurring on its soil as a result of the reckless hostile actions of Hezbollah. Those actions violate...

LARNACA, Cyprus (CP) - Stephen Harper grabbed a few hours' sleep aboard his prime ministerial plane as he prepared to help evacuate some of the Canadians fleeing the Middle East conflict. He spent the night on an airport tarmac in the Mediterranean resort town Larnaca and planned to invite 100 Canadians aboard his military Airbus for a return flight home Thursday. The aircraft is equipped with a pair of single beds, which Harper and his wife Laureen used to grab a few hours' rest before the whirlwind evacuation journey. Harper, accompanied by his "image-handlers," shrugged off suggestions his last-minute stop...

Prime Minister Tony Blair Tuesday rejected criticism that Britain had reacted slowly in evacuating its nations from Lebanon in the face of week-long Israeli bombings of the country's civilian infrastructure. Speaking at a joint conference with the Croatian prime minister, Ivo Sanader, Blair insisted that his government was acting "as quickly as we possibly can" to get its citizens out. "We have taken out of Lebanon the first 60 people - that was done yesterday. The first ship will come today, so obviously we can take far greater numbers out," he said. Britain is under criticism over its evacuation plans...

PARIS (CP) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is flying to Cyprus where he intends to take up to 120 evacuees from Lebanon home to Canada on his Canadian Forces plane. Harper announced the surprise side trip on his week-long European diplomatic tour after a meeting with French President Jacques Chirac at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday afternoon. "Because of the seriousness of the situation and our relative proximity to Cyprus, we have decided to take the Canadian Forces aircraft we have been travelling on to help airlift evacuees back home," Harper said in a statement. "The aircraft will be stripped...

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Jonathan Chakhtoura, a 19-year-old Lebanese-American, is eager to escape the outbreak of Mideast fighting here. But he says he's extremely disappointed with the way U.S. authorities have handled the evacuation. "Every time I call to see what's going on the lines are busy," he said of the U.S. Embassy. "When they answer, they say they don't know," said Chakhtoura, who wants to be back in Boston before his fashion design classes start Sept. 6. "A lot of people don't know what is going on. There is so much confusion. If it's security they are worried about, then...

Fox is reporting live for Beirut. Sea Stallion helicopters are now evacuating women, children and other special cases from via landings at the Beirut embassy.

Fox TV Reporting

Headline from MSNBC Also: CNN just reported that fair grounds in Cyprus have been secured to house 500 beds and another 250 hotel rooms are secured for evacuees

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2006 – While U.S. authorities in Cyprus are expecting to evacuate at least 5,000 Americans from Lebanon, they are preparing for any contingency, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said today. Navy Vice Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, who also commands the U.S. 5th Fleet, briefed Pentagon reporters from his headquarters in Bahrain. Nine U.S. Navy ships are converging on Lebanon from U.S. Central Command and from U.S. European Command. The European Command ships are arriving in the "joint operating area" already, Walsh said. The CENTCOM ships are expected over the next few days. DoD also...

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2006 – A contracted ship has docked in Lebanon to evacuate U.S. citizens caught in the fighting there, and U.S. officials have ordered the expeditionary strike group based around the USS Iwo Jima to assist in the effort, DoD officials said here today. DoD contracted a Greek ocean liner, the Orient Queen, to evacuate American citizens from Beirut, and that vessel has docked, a senior DoD official told reporters. The liner can hold up to 750 people for the five-hour voyage to Cyprus, an island nation in the western Mediterranean. In addition, six CH-53 helicopters -- three...

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- U.S. Sailors and Marines from the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) have been directed to assist in the authorized departure of American citizens from Lebanon. The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon has requested military assistance to help American citizens who wish to depart Lebanon to leave in a secure and orderly manner. Commander, Task Force 59, Marine Brig. Gen. Carl Jensen, is in Cyprus directing military efforts to provide support to the Embassy. The ESG and MEU are operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of...

Secretary Rice has directed the State Department in this case to waive the requirement for American citizens departing Lebanon to reimburse the United States Government for their travel costs. We want to do everything we can to facilitate the departure of American citizens from Lebanon. Today’s step removes one potential worry for our citizens at this difficult time.

The State Department said Monday that it will ask Americans to pay for rides out of Lebanon that include chartered vessels. "What we have to do in a situation like this is, we have to go out on an emergency basis and rent vessels," Burns said. "That's what we're trying to do ... We do that on behalf of American citizens. We're not quite sure how many of these Americans will come out." House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi objected to billing evacuees. "A nation that can provide more than $300 billion for a war in Iraq can provide the money...

BEIRUT — Thousands of Americans whose vacations and business trips to Lebanon have degenerated with sickening speed into stints in a battle zone remained stranded here under Israeli bombardment Monday, their frustration and anger mounting because the U.S. government hasn't gotten them out faster. Waiting around Beirut with bags packed and fingers crossed, U.S. citizens derided the embassy for busy phone lines, a lack of information and gnawing uncertainty over when and whether they will get out. Hundreds were expected to be shipped to Cyprus today, but how long the full evacuation will take remains uncertain.

One thing is lost in all the press coverage of the whining Americans who went to Lebanon of their own accord and now want us to pick up the tab to get them out. THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS IN LEBANON ARE HEZBOLLAH SUPPORTERS. Most of them are Shiite Muslims, many of whom hold dual U.S. and Lebanese citizenship. Many are anchor babies born here to Muslims in the U.S. illegally. Some are illegal aliens who became citizens through rubber-stamping Citizenship and Immigration Services (and its INS predecessor) coupled with political pressure by spineless politicians. Of the 25,000 American citizens and...

The Syrian embassy said it was offering "safe haven" to Americans and other citizens wishing to flee Lebanon, where nearly 200 civilians have been killed during a massive Israeli military bombardment. "Now, while thousands of United States citizens are stranded in Lebanon attempting to flee the ongoing massacre there, Syria has opened its borders to US citizens as well as citizens of other nationalities," the embassy said in a statement. "In Syria, US and citizens of other nations find a safe haven from the barbaric and atrocious acts of the Israeli army in Lebanon," it said, adding that already a...

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2006 – A U.S. military team is now in Lebanon evaluating the possibility of evacuating thousands of American citizens there, a Defense Department spokesman said here today. "There was an operation this morning involving some U.S. servicemembers to evacuate a small number of people from Lebanon at the request of the U.S. Embassy there," Army Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros, a Pentagon spokesman, said. A survey and assessment team from U.S. Central Command is now in Lebanon, Ballesteros said. The team is "planning with the (U.S.) Department of State there for the way ahead," he said. News...

says its too dangerous to leave now

BEIRUT, Lebanon - U.S. security teams arrived by helicopter Sunday at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to start planning the evacuation of Americans from Lebanon. Witnesses said two helicopters flew over the Mediterranean and landed on the embassy grounds, located on a fortified hilltop in the north Beirut suburb of Aukar. "The arrival of the teams is an important first step in facilitating the safe departure of Americans who want to leave Lebanon," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. It said the teams would arrange for "secure transportation for American citizens who wish to depart Lebanon." There are an...

Several hundred Mexicans living in North Carolina are receiving their ballots this month to elect a new Mexican president, and candidates are touting immigration reforms to gain their votes. It's the first time that Mexicans living abroad can vote, and North Carolina ranked eighth nationwide in the number who signed up, with 714 voters. South Carolina came in at No. 30, with 126 voters, according to Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute. It's unknown how many Mexicans living in the Carolinas were eligible to vote in the July 2 elections. Critics say a low voter-registration turnout was caused by registration forms being...

[SNIP] It is also serious because less than one fifth of the local population are nationals. That means for four fifths of the population Dubai is not home. It is an option. At any time the majority of the city's workers can say "Ma'salamaa" and as fast as they can get the visa head for Hong Kong, Singapore or Qatar. The UAE will no doubt remember that as it sets, for example, the level of VAT. Human capital is a critical part of an economy. It needs you to stay. It is also important for you to remember that while...

Rally Against the Iranian Regime, on the U.C. Berkeley campus, Nov. 1, 2005 On November 1, a group of Iranian expatriates (and their supporters) held a rally and press conference at the entrance to the U.C. Berkeley campus, at Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue. The event was announced through an online press release and a notice on Yahoo news. The event was arranged as a response to the statements by Iranian president Ahmadinejad calling for Israel to be destroyed and "wiped off the map." Iranians in the United States -- many of whom fled here to escape the Islamic revolution...

These days, some Americans heading for retirement are as concerned with pesos as pensions, and foreign language classes as Medicare. They are part of an emerging population expecting to spend their retirement abroad. In January, baby boomers will start hitting 60 at a rate of more than four million a year. More mobile, active and adventuresome than prior generations, these 78 million Americans are rethinking retirement. Many will be lured overseas by a more affordable cost of living and temperate weather. Some will want to return to their native countries or to places where they once worked or studied. Coreen...

Iran uses cyberspace to get expats to vote By Gareth Smyth in Tehran Published: June 8 2005 The Iranian government has launched a website to encourage Iranians living in the US to vote in next week's presidential election. The site (http://www.election1384.com) profiles the eight candidates for the June 17 poll, and lists 32 cities in America where voting centres will be set up. But US-allied exiles have called on the US government to close down any polling centres. Three groups - including the Student Movement Coordinating Committee for Democracy in Iran- have written to president George W Bush and the...

MEXICO CITY - (KRT) - The day after the U.S. presidential election, Jim and Joan Marker left for a scheduled vacation in San Miguel de Allende, central Mexico. Now they've decided they'd like to live there permanently. The Alabama couple are among the many United States citizens who have been going south, for adventure or a new life. The decades-long trend has gathered steam in recent years, statistics show, and Mexico is undergoing a sustained Americanization, with Americans buying more property, seeking permanent residency and congregating in enclaves that seem like home abroad. The U.S. State Department estimates that the...

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - An Australian polling station for Iraqi exiles voting in their homeland's historic election was closed for an hour on Saturday after a riot broke out and a suspicious bag prompted a bomb scare, organizers said. Bernie Hogan, the head of Australia's overseas voting program, said the riot erupted when a group of around 20 protesters started yelling insults at voters leaving the polling center in a Sydney neighborhood dominated by Iraqi Shiites. Hogan said the protesters were holding up the same black flag with white lettering that has appeared as a backdrop in videos released by...

Nashville, Tennessee..

A riot has broken out at a polling station in Sydney, Australia, between expatriate Iraqi voters and protesters opposed to the poll. The disturbance broke out when a group of 20 protesters started to shout insults at voters leaving the centre. Iraqis around the world have been going to the polls in a second day of voting. Almost 30% of those registered to vote in 14 countries around the world turned out on Friday. Voting will continue until Sunday evening. About one quarter of the estimated 1.2m Iraqis living abroad have registered to vote. "If we don't vote, who else...

Expatriot Vote has Effect in Iraq While the big day here is Jan. 30, Iraqi elections overseas have already begun. The coverage of these overseas elections is having an effect on the homeland. Officials said the extensive Arab media coverage of the expatriate voting process is encouraging Iraqis to vote here. "They see the real happiness that Iraqis in the other countries exhibit at being able to vote," said an Iraqi official. "It is contagious." No official will forecast what the voter turnout might be. "In some areas of the country it will be very high," the official said. "In...

AMMAN, Jordan - We didn't look much alike, those of us milling about the school courtyard and lining up to vote: Elderly men in traditional Arab gowns, young men in ski jackets and women in bright, flowing robes or beneath long, black abayas. The hodgepodge of dress mirrored the mix of sects, religions and ethnicity_ Shiites, Sunnis, Christians, Kurds, Arabs. But we were all Iraqis and all willing to ignore boycott calls and intimidation attempts to have a say in our future and maybe one day live in the free, democratic, federal and united Iraq touted in election posters. We...