By Staff Reporter WINDHOEK The murders of a farmer, Elias Tjipueja between Rietoog and MaltahÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚¶he and a German tourist, Johannes Fellinger, in the Khomas Hochland are signs that criminals are now also targeting rural areas in Namibia, the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has said. “It seems that this tendency, which is a great problem in South Africa, has now emerged in Namibia,” the NAU said in its weekly newsletter on Friday. It said the union was concerned that especially the farming community was increasingly becoming targets for criminals, the end result being murder in various cases. The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Reverend Willem Konjore, last week expressed shock at the brutal killing of Fellinger. He said Namibia could not afford “such acts of violence against our tourists or any other member of society”. Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Tourism Board, Digu //Naobeb, assured partners in the tourism trade that the government was committed to apprehending the culprits. //Naobeb said the isolated incident in Namibia, which is known as a peaceful country, came as a shock to Namibians and all involved in the tourism industry. He added that more than 300 000 tourists who travel through Namibia enjoy the unspoilt nature, good facilities and friendliness of Namibians, which indicates that such a criminal act could hardly have been anticipated. “Namibia is known for its peace and stability in a world where crime and terrorism are a constant threat,” he said. The following are tips from the NAU for farmers to always be on the look out: *Safeguard your farmhouse by way of a security fence, dogs, alarm systems, and ensure that all doors are locked when you go to sleep. *Switch on your Farmers Association’s band radio and, if possible, place it on the NAU channel (channel 68) on your radio. *Be on the lookout for suspicious-looking people and movement of suspicious vehicles and report these immediately to the nearest police station.