March 18, 2024, 10:11:22 PM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: NEW CHILD BOARD CREATED IN THE POLITICAL SECTION FOR THE 2016 ELECTION
 
   Home   Help Login Register  
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 »   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Murder and Crime Rate In Aruba  (Read 4737361 times)
0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #60 on: September 02, 2006, 01:29:34 PM »

This isn't a Murder & Crime post - yet. Will be if/when a plane crashes.

SM Front Page post 9/2/2006. Emphasis added.
http://www.scaredmonkeys.com/
 
Amigoe: September 1, 2006

The radar that for more than ten years is not in working order forms the main issue of political differences of opinion.

ARUBA – The radar at the airport receives full attention again.  Not because it is going to become operational soon, but because of everything that went wrong since the tender in 1993.  Politicians and air traffic controller Willem Vrolijk (MPA) and Minister Edison Briesen of Tourism and Transport and his party (MEP) are the ones in discussion.    

Willem Vrolijk, chairman of the political part MPA, the former member of OLA and former minister of Transport and Communication, has explained in three detailed statements that the current minister of Tourism and transport, Briesen, ‘still doesn’t understand anything in aviation’.  “I have done more in five months as a minister than Briesen did in five years”, said Vrolijk in an elucidation on his statements.

Vrolijk says that the radar currently at the airport, was one of the most modern radars in the Caribbean ten years ago.  The installation does no longer work due to lack of necessary maintenance. The government didn’t want to spend money on that.  “And there was money, because in the 2004 budget year, minister Briesen gave permission to transfer 1.3 million florins from his ministry to Education.”   There was no adjusted salary scheme for air traffic control leaders and this was one of the obstacles for putting the radar into operation.  The negotiations that started in 1995 were never completed.  Vrolijk accuses Briesen of not keeping his promise to fix the matter as soon as possible.

more at link
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
yapperz1
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 1299



« Reply #61 on: September 04, 2006, 06:52:07 PM »

Here is another pst made by someone who's friend was murdered on Aruba. Don't know the name but maybe it can be found by the particulars & the time frame given.

http://tinyurl.com/mgrqx

Five years ago a childhood friend of my husband was murdered in Aruba, a screwdriver was the weapon. As far as I know the murder was never solved, we were told it was drug related and the murderer was a local boy so the government did not do much of an investigation.

Aruba has no equipment to handle an investigation like a missing person or murder. I can think of many things that the FBI could do that the Aruba police probably never thought to do in this investigation. For one thing a lie detector for the three young men and the father. That would be one way to see if the police were on the right track.

I would like more of a focus put on Carlos and Charlie's Bar, a place that no matter what country, is dangerous. I went once to Carlos & Charlie's in Cancun, the tequila was the star attraction.

A man with a spot light and microphone would go around the room taunting people to take a tequila shot. You could tell the young people could not handle the alcohol and would be staggering out to the street to throw up or pass out. I have never stepped into a Carlos and Charlie's since.

If Natalie Holloway was heavily under the influence of alcohol then she was in no shape to make a rational decision the night she disappeared and the boys took advantage of that. I think in any country we need to know where it is safe to go before we ever leave home. My children will be chaperoned by me when they go on their graduation trip. My children will not be able to drink until they are the age of 21 no matter what country they are visiting.

Will I ever visit Aruba? Probably not, just because of my husband's friend being murdered there, it has never been a place he wanted to visit. If the boys had nothing to do with Natalie's disappearance then why did they lie about dropping her off at her hotel? I hope that Natalie's mom, regardless if they ever find Natalie, decides to come home, she needs to be with family and friends not with strangers.

Ann Graham
Houston, TX
Logged

I STAND WITH THE GIRL, NATALEE HOLLOWAY

ARUBA
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #62 on: September 04, 2006, 07:18:30 PM »

Thanks Yapperz. Interesting, if she's remembering correctly, that would be the only murder we have in 2000 - and we have a stat that shows NO murders, but SIX suicides, in 2000.
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
Anna
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 18149



« Reply #63 on: September 05, 2006, 03:55:11 PM »

.
MsMarple

Please email me at Anna.bama.bama@gmail.com for more thoughts on this but look what we have started?  They are terrified as well they should be.  This is from the RU forum yesterday.  At least someone is paying VERY close attention to our efforts.

---------

Glenda Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:06 am    

In their minds, they don't need a contract to sue. Their plan is to sue Aruba for False advertising, even to go as far to say there was not even a small print disclosure at the bottom of the brochure.

They intend to prove the Aruba is dangerous, full of preditors, drug dealers, cooruption, no laws etc.. They think with Full disclosure, they can pull this off. They do not want the docs to find Natalee, they want them as evidence to sue Aruba.

Glenda Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:46 am    

Who'd ever thought you win a lawsuit after spilling hot coffee on yourself!  

I think now days you can even sue Disney if an employee smiles at you crooked.  

They want to take Aruba down!!! Remember how Beth was mad at everything Dutch, she hated the Dutch more than Aruba for a while. Now she is applauding them. Why? Because she is hoping they will come in and expose the "cover-up and corruption" that she needs to use in her lawsuit of "seedy" island of Aruba.

Whether it is valid or not, (she has already proven that validity is not important) she will be able to find a lawyer to file it, get more TV time and continue to CRUSH Aruba with her verbal media strike against Aruba. In turn, promoting her "safe travel foundation". She can ask anyone and everyone who ever had a bad trip to Aruba to sign affidavits to help her. She can leak them to the press!  
 
------------

They lied and they know they lied and they know it is wrong to lie like they lied.   Wink
Logged

PERSONA NON GRATA

All posts reflect my opinion only and are not shared by all forum members nor intended as statement of facts.  I am doing the best I can with the information available.

Murder & Crime on Aruba Summary http://tinyurl.com/2nus7c
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #64 on: September 05, 2006, 09:36:18 PM »

Anna - I'll email you ASAP.

But first - Not sure which "they" the refugees reference - but who said anything about suing? Not "this" "they" ...
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
Anna
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 18149



« Reply #65 on: September 06, 2006, 12:12:22 AM »

.
MsMarple,
No one said anything about suing, not this thread and not Beth but the Glenda persona knows that we have the grounds right here in this itty bitty thread and she is fearful that Beth will use this same kind of an argument, maybe even these self same incidents to do just that.

A hit dog hollers so my old Pappy always told me.  They lied.  They know now that we know they lied and can prove it.  Safe island my bazooka!  Aruba recently lost, that would be the Government of Aruba, a $19 million for failure to comply with some agreements for building a racetrack.  So just imagine a lawsuit about portraying the island as safe and then it being discovered what a cesspool of crime it truly is?  I think Beth would have a very valid argument on that and I don't think I have seen Glenda so serious about anything in a very long time.

Our original idea was maybe a travel warning to go along with the boycott but maybe Glenda's idea is not so bad as a sort of little bonus for Natalee's parents just in case they should chose to go that route.  

Just keep up the excellent job you are doing and document as much as you can.  The rumor of one murder in twenty years sounds like something straight out of AHATA to me.  Yes, I have noticed that there are fewer gristly crimes on the front pages of the newspapers these days and suspect they are reported if at all deep inside.  So many crimes, so little time.  I wish we could ask Jossy to help us with this but since it is not in the interest of the island, I doubt he would be willing to do so unless there was a favorable political slant to it which there might be since the opposition party is in power now while all these crimes are happening.

I, too, had started a Word Document but believe yours would be better.  But I do think we should send it to the family just in case they are working on something of this nature, too.  Or want to do so in the future at some time.  

It's not very often you find a government of any nation involved in such a total fabrication with regard to crime and safety and it should be required at the least for Aruba to come clean and tell the truth about this for the safety of future tourist who might be foolish enough to go there expecting safety.

Thank you for all the hard work you have put into this.

Anna
Logged

PERSONA NON GRATA

All posts reflect my opinion only and are not shared by all forum members nor intended as statement of facts.  I am doing the best I can with the information available.

Murder & Crime on Aruba Summary http://tinyurl.com/2nus7c
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #66 on: September 06, 2006, 10:46:15 AM »

Klass posted this at LCD ... which had been posted on the Front Page.

Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 11:34 pm    Post subject:    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
This link was just posted on the front page:

http://tinyurl.com/rngts
30 August, 2006 - Published 21:42 GMT

Crime triggers fear of tourism backlash

St Lucian Prime Minister Kenny Anthony says he has requested the help of Scotland Yard in the investigation into the slaying of a British woman on the island.

British investigators were expected to join local efforts to solve the killing of sixty-one year old Patricia Ann Lee.

Her body was found at the bottom of a cliff in the northern part of the island last week.

Admitting that St Lucia was taking a hard knock from violent crime, Prime Minister Anthony said he'd seen a level of savagery that's unbelievable.

Reputations at stake

Dr Anthony said the cycle of violence in his country was causing a lot of grief, with St Lucia's reputation suffering as well.

Forensic Pathologist Stephen King said an autopsy showed Ms Lee died from a stab wound in the back.

And in Dutch St Maarten, Holland is placing special attention on a crime wave gripping its half of the island it shares with France.

It's putting in place a security plan for the territory.

One of the main concerns highlighted by Dutch Interior Affairs Minister Johan Remkes who has been visiting the Dutch Caribbean is the need for adequate staffing of the local police force.

Mr Remkes said however that Holland did not want to intervene directly as this is principally a matter for the government of the Netherlands Antilles.

A spate of crimes in Dutch St Maarten has been highlighted by several killings, robberies and other violent attacks including one on two homosexual American television producers.

Damage limitation

That high profile incident forced the St Maarten tourism authorities into quick damage control.

Several arrests were subsequently made and the matter is now in court.

The St Maarten police are also proposing to recruit officers from Suriname a former Dutch colony.

Twelve people have been killed so far for this year in St Maarten, a tourism dependent Dutch territory of 16 square miles with a resident population estimated to be over thirty thousand.

The security plan proposed for St Maarten is in addition to a general security plan for the Netherlands Antilles.

Aruba, another tourism dependent island, has had to mount a massive public relations drive following a campaign of negative publicity in the United States, waged by the mother of an American teenager, who has been missing on the island for over a year now.

Outside help

Holland is to take over the investigation into the disappearance of the American teenager, Natalie Holloway.
Aruba, like St Lucia and St Maarten derives most of its tourism from the United States.

Many other countries in the region have seen an upsurge in serious crimes and several have sought assistance from the United Kingdom and the United States in a bid to curb the trend.
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #67 on: September 06, 2006, 11:46:38 PM »

DEM BONES - Update re. Shoulder Bone

Shizaru - Posted on LCD 9/6/2006

Added to timeline:

July 7 [2005]: Tourist finds what appears to be a shoulder bone with flesh intact, on the beach just south of the California lighthouse area, and turns it in to Noord polis station. About 10 days later the tourist contacts Dave Holloway to inquire as to the results of the find. Dave is unaware that a bone had been found. He contacts the FBI, and the FBI tells him they have heard nothing about it. Further inquiry adds to the confusion: Det. Jacobs says that a donkey bone and a fish bone were found, while another polis investigator says that a human bone was found but that it was too old to have come from Natalee. In August, PI Art Wood asks a third investigator about the bone and is told he is unaware of any bone being found (Family's Nov 4 letter)

http://blogsfornatalee.com/forums/index.php?topic=4590.0
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
Buckeye
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 5376



« Reply #68 on: September 09, 2006, 09:45:01 PM »

A couple crimes against tourists:

05/03/2005 Wade Ralph (Avg: 4.08 Review) - I snorkeled this site 5 times in 7 days. Lots of fish around rocks, abundant starfish, saw a Moray Eel, lobster, puffer fish early morning. The reefs were sand covered due to Hurricane Ivan last fall. Malmok and Depalm slope best on the island. Beware of theft @ Malmok as my rental car was stolen 4-30-2005 while I snorkeled. They took key out of bag hidden in rocks. Very common per Police.

09/12/2005 Anonymous (Avg: 3.51 Review) - My wife and I are beginner snorkelers and had a great timer at Malmok. We stayed close to shore and saw incredible numbers and diversity of fish. I would rank this site higher than Baby Beach but definitely lower than Boca Catalina and Catalina Cove. Be very cautious with your belongings here and elsewhere on the island. Don't leave anything in your car or any valuables on the beach/rocks. When we checked out the Malmok entry site, we left an inexpensive digital camera in the rental car for 10 minutes. When we returned the window was smashed and the camera gone. Don't get lazy and let your guard down like I did.

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/Aruba/Malmok_Beach/index.htm
Logged
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #69 on: September 09, 2006, 11:43:42 PM »

Thanks Buckeye.
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
sharon
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3216



« Reply #70 on: September 10, 2006, 08:24:24 AM »

Here's an old story -- I didn't see it here yet. If so, please delete (and I apologize).

http://www.byroncrawford.com/2005/06/combat_jacks_gu_1.html

(snipped)

We arrived on Sunday, scheduled to leave the following Sunday, and every effin day leading up to our last night (Saturday) is effin paradise. Para-sailing, lobsters, drinks, all the shit I mentioned above is going on and I'm praying it doesn't end. Our last night, Saturday, my whole crew is in the casino having a blast and to top things off, I'm up by like $2,000 at the Roulette table. This was our version of boy's night out (nhjic) as our chicks were all in the hotel getting dolled up for dinner later on that evening. Man, we're all smoking cigars, drunk and shit, joking like lil bitches (no homo Juelz Santana) and after me placing like 35 chips on 8 (my lucky number) six effin Arubians (what the eff do you call em?) RUN IN THE EFFIN CASINO WITH SKI MASKS ON, ALL TOTING AK-47'S AND DEMANDING THAT WE ALL GET ON THE FLOOR!!!

Now I have never claimed to be gully, (even though I've witnessed some gully shit here in good ole U.S. of A.) but I vividly recall getting instantly sobered up and feeling real shook up under that Roulette Table. My boy Matt from Harlem (now he's gully) is all up under the very same table with about 9 other sobered up tourists, the whole effin place is silent and some bitches around the room are sobbing about how these Arubians are about to execute the whole effin lot of us gangland style. Meanwhile, my sorry ass is busy trying to stuff all my cash and Rolex watch in my socks. The gunmen are screaming out some eff'd up demands in their eff'd up language that I in no way understand, and I'm thinking that if I get murdered, it's all because I don't understand Arubian (or whatever type of eff'd up Dutch those people speak). What these gunmen came to do was they came in, pulled out the heat, and went straight to the cashier's gate, kept us all subdued at gunpoint, and cleared out everything from the Casino's cash registers and vaults (or wherever casinos generally keep their stash). After about 10 minutes, dudes got what they wanted and broke the f*** out, leaving everyone the eff alone. When we realized that dudes had broke out, we all warily got up from the tables, and when I stood up and looked at the Roulette table, I realized that my number 8 had hit with that stack of 35 chips up on it!!!! Being the true business man that I am, I demanded that I receive my winnings, cashed my shit and summarily got the eff up out of there.
(snipped)
Logged

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has!" Margaret Mead
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #71 on: September 10, 2006, 01:19:50 PM »

Hi Sharon, Thanks. I read at the link you provided and wanted to add this last paragraph of "Combat Jack's" account:

<snip>
The next day, on our way to the airport, our driver tells us that the gunmen from the night before went on a spree and cleaned out five other casinos before getting caught and all murdered dead by gunshot wounds inflicted by the local authorities. When I heard about Natalee Hollaway's disappearance last week, I knew that if that chick encountered any of the thuggish elements we did, she is in no way longer with us. As for Aruba, I'd rather take my chances with gully ass Jamaica, at least I can understand what the eff those rude bwoys are saying.
<end snip>

The dated posted on the link is June 23 2005. That doesn't give us a clue as to when Combat Jack's incident happened, but it is clear that it was before Natalee's disappearance. In the chronological list I'm keeping, I'll put that as the "date posted."
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #72 on: September 11, 2006, 01:06:31 PM »

Found this in a 6/14/2005 USAToday story --

<snip>
Detailed crime statistics are hard to come by: In 2003, the most recent year with available data, there were 4,236 crimes, though no specifics on those against tourists. According to Aruba's attorney general, five homicides were reported last year. But police have not provided a breakdown of offenses since 1995, says Martijn Balkestein of the Central Bureau of Statistics.
<snip>


I interpret this as implying 5 homicides in 2004.
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
2NJSons_Mom
Monkey All Star
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 11324



« Reply #73 on: September 12, 2006, 11:03:20 AM »

Traveler rating:
Palm/Eagle Beach: Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club: "Thefts common in Aruba hotels (Marriott Resort)"
Jun 7, 2005: A TripAdvisor Member, New Jersey


This was our first time to Aruba- we stayed at the Marriott Ocean Club.

Within 2 hours of checking in, someone had broken into our room from the rear window (between 7-9pm, which was still daylight), and stolen my laptop, video camera, and other items. The path behind the window was certainly not "lonely", so how could someone know which room to break into and walk out with the stuff raises serious doubts about the hotel staff.

When the front desk was alerted about this, it seemed like this was a common occurrence- they took their time calling security, very casual about the incident, and we never saw the hotel manager at all.

Later on, we learnt that several of my friends had their cars broken into in Aruba, and hotel staff said that thefts were common in Aruba.

I decided to write about my incident when I also read in the news about the missing American teenager in Aruba this week.

So, please be VERY careful about your belongings. It is safer to be on the higher floors of the hotel and not the ground floor to avoid people breaking into your room from the window or balcony (if they can break into Marriott hotels in broad daylight, what is to prevent them from coming in with a knife later in the night)?

A bit about the hotel (Marriott Ocean Club):

The hotel is nice, but the hotel staff needs a serious lesson in manners. They are rude beginning from the people at the entrance to the people at the front desk. Their attitude is one of arrogance, and I suspect they know that once a tourist comes there, they really have no option but to finish their stay there.

All/most rooms are "ocean view", and there is a big difference in "ocean view" and "ocean front". If you can lean out of your room and see the ocean, well, that is "ocean view". So it would be wise to drop your expectations of "facing the ocean" from an "ocean view" room.

http://tinyurl.com/gmde6
Logged

R.I.P Dear 2NJ - say hi to Peaches for us!

I expect a miracle _Peaches ~ ~ May She Rest In Peace.

SOMEONE KNOWS THE TRUTH  

None of us here just fell off the turnip truck. - Magnolia
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #74 on: September 12, 2006, 11:53:15 AM »

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:41 pm    Post subject:    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
SunFreak - In your post on LCD thread 9/10/2006, you say:

Quote:
Quote
Woman attacked at Hadacurari Beach fisherman's huts week prior to Natalee's disappearance  


Is this the Tracy Allen incident? Because we have included that one, saying at Fisherman's Huts, and my assumption is the "Marriott" huts (because she had a time share at Marriott).

So is this a separate incident - at Hadacurari Beach? (Which I'm afraid is a whole new place name for me.)

Thank you. If it's a separate incident, can you post whatever you have about it?
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #75 on: September 12, 2006, 11:55:07 AM »

Oh, and thanks, 2NJSons_Mom.

[/b]
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #76 on: September 12, 2006, 11:56:04 PM »

Quote from: "msmarple"
Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:41 pm    Post subject:    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
SunFreak - In your post on LCD thread 9/10/2006, you say:

Quote
Woman attacked at Hadacurari Beach fisherman's huts week prior to Natalee's disappearance  


Is this the Tracy Allen incident? Because we have included that one, saying at Fisherman's Huts, and my assumption is the "Marriott" huts (because she had a time share at Marriott).

So is this a separate incident - at Hadacurari Beach? (Which I'm afraid is a whole new place name for me.)

Thank you. If it's a separate incident, can you post whatever you have about it?


On 9/12/2006, SunFreak2 posted this on the Lively Case Discussion (LCD):

Quote
MsMarple - Hadicurari is the name of the beach where the fisherman's huts are located just north of the Marriott Resort. That incident would be the same as the Tracy Allen incident.
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
Anna
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 18149



« Reply #77 on: September 13, 2006, 11:43:36 AM »

.
Now this is interesting.  The original article at USAToday has had the sentence stating one murder in the last twenty years replaced with the following:

>>Many people say they feel safe when traveling. But our sense of "safe" is often distorted by media coverage (or the lack of it) and distance, according to Tarlow. For example, the disappearance of Natalee Holloway gained worldwide attention and caused a decline in visitors to Aruba, even though it is the safest island in the Caribbean with only a handful of murders each year.<<

Oh, so now it is only a handful each year??  Well with their population between 77,000 and 100,000 that handful gives them quite the crime rate.  Going from one in the last twenty years to several  or a handful each year is a big, big jump.

Now in the original article this is cited as the source for that ridiculous figure of one in the last twenty years as:

>>Which city is more dangerous: Baghdad or Caracas, Venezuela? If your answer is Caracas, you are correct according to Dr. Peter E. Tarlow, an expert in crime, terrorism, and risk management in the travel industry. Though similar in population, Baghdad is on pace to have 7,000 murders this year, while 15,000 will be killed in Caracas.<<

Dr. Peter E. Tarlow it seems is the "expert" who makes such statements.  He would have been more accurate to have said twenty in one year, unfortunately.

Perhaps this Dr. Tarlow could benefit from a bit of information as Grossman told me in an email which I can't find at the moment that this expert provides information for our government agencies as well as travel industry.  You'd think he would bother to get his facts a little closer than one in twenty years.

I will do a google of him and see what I can find this afternoon soon as I have time for he does seem to be a person who has tremendous influence but is using it to continue the propaganda put out by the ATA and Aruban government instead of finding out the truth of the matter.

.
Logged

PERSONA NON GRATA

All posts reflect my opinion only and are not shared by all forum members nor intended as statement of facts.  I am doing the best I can with the information available.

Murder & Crime on Aruba Summary http://tinyurl.com/2nus7c
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #78 on: September 13, 2006, 02:04:49 PM »

Anna - I tried to post on Page 8 of LCD last night that I had found contact information for Dr. Tarlow. (But that's the page that went bad on us - hope it wasn't ME ... I posted the link to the web site I found.)

I have just mailed and emailed a 3-page epistle to him which I will post shortly.
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
msmarple
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 3835



« Reply #79 on: September 13, 2006, 02:24:09 PM »

Letter to Dr. Tarlow
(emphasis added)

September 13, 2006


Dr. Peter E. Tarlow
Tourism & More Inc.
1218 Merry Oaks
College Station, Texas, 77840-2609, USA.

Re. Aruba – Crime and Tourism

Dear Dr. Tarlow:

I am among many individuals who have followed the Natalee Holloway disappearance on Aruba – I am sure you are familiar with the subject. I read and post on several internet forums, primarily http://www.scaredmonkeys.net .

You came to my attention because of a column by David Grossman, a travel writer for USAToday. The original column subsequently has been edited (due, I think, to reaction from folks like me), but I believe he quoted you to the effect that Aruba had “one murder in 20 years”. (Or perhaps it was “one homicide investigation in 20 years”.) Here is a link to the column as it now stands; notice the Editors Note at the beginning, and the current reference to “a handful of murders a year,” which is not the original wording:
http://tinyurl.com/mg6ju

As a result of that original “1 in 20” statement, at the “scared monkeys” site, we began a new thread called Murder & Crime Rate in Aruba. We are collaborating on a list of murders and other violent crimes that have occurred there. Here is a link to that discussion:
http://www.scaredmonkeys.net/viewtopic.php?t=188&start=0

I also have listed most of the incidents in an MS Word document, in chronological order.

Our purpose is to show that Aruba deliberately and officially obscures violent crimes in the interest of tourism. For example, we believe that at least seven (7) murders (counting Miss Holloway) occurred in 2005. For the population, that’s considerably higher than the ratio touted to the travel industry – “one in 20 years,” “2.4 per year” are figures I have read.

And more important, we believe that the deception alone constitutes good reason for Aruba to be on the U.S. State Department travel warning list. Because what it means is that if serious harm comes your way, local Law Enforcement -- with official blessing – will try to write that incident off as a suicide, accident, or other non-nefarious cause. Unless there’s relentless pressure from the victim’s family and a media blitz, they’ll get away with it.

As recently as Spring 2006, the Polis Chief stated that he believed Miss Holloway died from an accidental, self-induced overdose. He did not speculate as to what she then did with her corpse.

Dr. Tarlow, you can imagine how difficult it is to pull this information together. We are trying to read online versions of local newspapers, but none of them are in English – Dutch, Papiamento, and Spanish are the local languages. (If you have ever tried “babblefish” or similar as a translator, you know what we’re going through … especially with Papiamento, which is the language for Diario, which has the largest circulation.) We only began this particular endeavor recently, and back issues are not readily available to us.

We initially only were looking for reported murders, but lately are suspicious about suicides, accidents, and other seemingly non-nefarious deaths. We have a recent Diario article suggesting that some cases deemed to be suicides during the last 20 years may have been due to foul play.
 
Diario 1/6/2006 article (excerpts):
Quote

High Command in Holland wants to conduct DNA tests on all suicide victims
 
Among other things, it is mentioned that with suicide cases, it is desired for all these cases, that DNA tests be conducted on the bodies.
Two unsolved cases were illustrated, in the first instance the victim committed suicide but it resulted later after the test, that this was not the case.


Here is a recent example: on April 5, 2006, a man’s body was found near a cave. His body was crucified, burned, and otherwise unspeakably mutilated. This death was ruled a suicide, but “evidence has been sent to Holland for testing”. Admittedly I have not seen an outcome, but “evidence to Holland” has become an ominous joke to followers of the Holloway case. Meanwhile – what about the timely investigation that should have been underway?

Amigoe June 8 2006 article (excerpts):
Quote
ARUBA — Dinesh ‘Pitbull’ Djoegan had died of overdoses cocaine.  At this moment, the Public Prosecutor (OM) does not have evidence that the 25-year old man that was found dead in the vicinity of the Guadirikiri cave on April 5th was murdered.  Four suspects have been arrested and the examining magistrate has prolonged the custody of one of them with 8 days.
On Tuesday, Pitbull’s widow and her mother had talked with the district attorney, who leads the investigation on the death of Djoegan.  The OM does not comment on the contents of this conversation.  All they said was that in order to determine the cause of death, they had to send tests to the Netherlands.  The family was informed that Pitbull was not murdered, but had an amount of cocaine in his body.  There is a possibility that he was forced to take the drug. The OM is also investigating the relation between the cause of death and the fact that Djoegan was found burned and crucified.


We have another article re. a ship passenger who died on board. When the ship docked at Aruba, an autopsy suggested that death was due to natural causes. But when the body was returned to the man’s home country, another autopsy revealed that he had been strangled, and that there were visible indications of violence. The good news is that as a High Seas death, Interpol is investigating. The bad news is that, partly as a result of Aruba’s misdiagnosis, precious time was wasted. I am betting that the ship and/or its crew are closely connected to Aruba.

Diario 3/20/2006 article (excerpts):
Quote
ORANJESTAD (AAN): It seems that in Aruba, authorities immediately ‘guli manda abao’ [swallowed?] the story of the crew members of the ‘Rachel S’ ship, which arrived in Aruba the Sunday of Carnaval Grandi with a dead person on board.
There is a big possibility that the crew members ‘played a comedy’ which apparently turned bad, to cover up a possible crime that was committed on board.
The autopsy conducted in Aruba deduced that Bernard Ramsaran, 50 years of age, died of heart failure.
But now, an autopsy conducted in his country of Trinidad & Tobago, has deduced that Bernard died of something more sinister, ‘traumatic asphyxia’, which indicates that [he] was strangled and choked! His death is nothing natural! It is a crime which took place on the high seas and now Interpol is involved.
The question is, how could Aruban authorities not discover this? The Trinidad & Tobago authorities discovered that Bernard’s body even had several marks of violence.


There is every indication that corruption is entrenched at high and low levels of government. “Recreational” drugs are illegal on Aruba, but are available in abundance and overlooked. According to the C.I.A. World Factbook, Aruba is a “transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity.” (Drugs are not illegal in Holland.) Now, drug availability may be a reason for some tourists to choose Aruba. But drug traffic on this scale, combined with the casinos, invites criminal activity.

Don’t get me started on the prostitution, pornography and sex-slave angles (including child porn). Suffice it to say that many are convinced that this is what happened to Miss Holloway. They compare her to cruise passenger Amy Bradley, who some believe to have been abducted into the sex industry.

The clubs and casinos do not enforce age restrictions re. alcohol and gambling, for tourists or locals. When high school kids are gambling away a few hundred dollars, and spending maybe $25-$50 on alcohol, several nights a week, one wonders where their money is coming from. They seem to roam the clubs and casinos in packs; some don’t even have a driver’s license yet.

All of this -- on an island of less than 100,000 population. While people like to compare the U.S. crime rate to that of Aruba (which is whatever Aruba decides to say it is), I suggest that a comparison between a U.S. city of 100,000 and Aruba gives a clearer picture – plus the U.S. city has many layers of help available to investigate a serious crime.

Although I am not expert as to Aruba’s political standing, I perceive that it is more than less independent from The Netherlands (unlike Bonaire and Curaçao). There is no pressure, martial law, FBI or similar outside intervention available.

However, Aruba does owe Holland a huge sum of money. If so inclined, Holland could conceivably leverage itself into a house-cleaning on Aruba.

Those who dismiss the Natalee Holloway story as “another missing white girl” have no idea what reality is on the ground in Aruba. This is NOT like most media sensations. The investigation was inept by any country’s law enforcement standards, but Aruba neither acknowledges that or attempts to correct it. Further, I think as much official energy has been expended trashing the victim and her family, as on the investigation.

I do not believe that you, as a professional with good reputation and integrity, can ignore the many things that are very wrong on that one happy island. U.S. travelers may still choose to go to Aruba, but if they perform due diligence and read from sources such as yourself, please don’t give them the wrong impression.

I am emailing as well as postal mailing this to you. The Word document I mentioned is attached to the email but not enclosed in the postal mailing. I also suggest you visit the “Murder & Crime” thread at the internet site; here is that link again:
http://www.scaredmonkeys.net/viewtopic.php?t=188&start=0

Sincerely,

<msmarple redacts personal contact information>

mailed and emailed to: tourism@bihs.net
Logged

Why did they have to disappear her body?

Murder & Crime on  Aruba Summary - http://tinyurl.com/2lhukn

My usual avatar is an orchis simia (monkey orchid) plant.
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 »   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Use of this web site in any manner signifies unconditional acceptance, without exception, of our terms of use.
Powered by SMF 1.1.13 | SMF © 2006-2011, Simple Machines LLC
 
Page created in 6.174 seconds with 19 queries.