April 27, 2006

BOO HOO...WE DON'T FEEL SORRY FOR YOU



From the dusty, cactus-studded center of this Caribbean island to its palm tree-lined resort beaches, few leads have been unexplored in the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway.


All the investigations, arrests, rumors and intense media coverage in the 11 months since Holloway disappeared have taken a toll on islanders. Hundreds of people have been questioned, said prosecutor's spokeswoman Mariaine Croes, from beach workers, fishermen and the homeless to the scions of well-off families. At least nine have been arrested and released without charges.


Hundreds of volunteers, Dutch Marines, the local coast guard, the FBI and others have scoured the island's dunes, beaches and trash dumps. Scuba divers and sonar-equipped coast guard ships have examined the seabed offshore.


With the case still unsolved, islanders now fear that Aruba, which gets 70 percent of its gross domestic product from tourism, will be permanently scarred by the mystery.


The island off the coast of Venezuela has beautiful white sand beaches and is home to a lively mix of Europeans, Caribbean immigrants and descendants of the original Arawak Indians. But islanders now fear they'll be known only for the night when a single U.S. tourist vanished.


A recent "Lonely Planet" guide devoted one of its four paragraphs on Aruba's 4,000-year history to the Holloway case. "We're concerned about the negative publicity," said Myrna Jansen-Feliciano of the Aruba Tourist Authority.


Locals are quick to call the case a tragedy and say they hope Holloway — last seen leaving a bar with three young men early on May 30, 2005 — will be found alive. But most also believe criticism of the investigation is unfair — and they worry the case is scaring away visitors, most of whom are Americans who patronize U.S. chain restaurants and hotels that accept U.S. dollars.


They're especially angry that cable TV crime shows echo criticism by Holloway's mother, Beth Twitty, that Aruban authorities are corrupt and incompetent. And they're enraged that the governors of Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama have criticized the investigation and backed a travel boycott of Aruba.


"They're saying bad things about Aruba. Maybe if it is Aruba's fault, they can say bad things. But if it's not, they shouldn't," said Jason Angela, a 15-year-old Oranjestad student.


Hotel occupancy was down 3 percent through February compared to the year before, Jansen-Feliciano said. Big hotels were hit particularly hard — down 10 percent. It is unclear whether the drop is a result of bad publicity and the boycott or of rising hotel rates.


And while some businesses that rent jet skis and take people tubing on the water report steady business, others blame a difficult low season last year on the Holloway case.


The arrest of Geoffrey van Cromvoirt, 19, on April 15 underscored the close ties among members of the island community. The Dutch teen's father owns a private security company that had also employed the son of Police Commissioner Gerold Dompig, who voluntarily stepped down as lead investigator amid criticism. Police have said nothing about their latest arrest, of a 20-year-old man, identified by prosecutors by the initials A.B. He was released after six hours of questioning on Saturday.


"I don't know who they're going to get next," said Danielle Gross, a 26-year-old friend of van Cromvoirt's. "It is like a never-ending story."


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess they forgot about the Americans, Gary Makings and Bud Larson. They also disappeared on the One Killer Lieland.

And kudos to Carnival Cruise lines for dropping Aruba(mafia island) from the destination list.
aahahahha!!!

Anonymous said...

Joe T got it all wrong. Republic of Iran and Pahlavi were both foreigners. Natalee is the honor high school graduate American citizen. The court has the right to grant Natalee's constitutional right to see the justice for her anywhere in the United States, and the court has the human right to bring the foreign suspect Joran into United States for trial.

Anonymous said...

The next one Karin Jassen going to arrest is Anita van der Sloot. Anita openly discussed the panty of Natalee and her private content from within in front of Beth and Greta. That conversation was connected to the progeny issues reported in Joe Tacopina's court filings. The progency issues imply and touch the burden of underage alchohol consumption, underage casioo gambling and underage porno offenses upon the Aruban government sponsored by the irresponsibilities of Joran's parents Anita and Paulus. The ALE wants to find out how and when Anita was able to learn about the body details of Natalee.

Anonymous said...

Karin J needs to be arrested. She is part of the problem with the case. That letter she sent to the U.S. Department of Justice in October, confirmed to me she has no intention of solving the case or filing charges on any of the suspects and or lying witnesses.
She told our Justice Dept. she had no evidence.
What we've all witnessed lately is more BS to make it look like they give a care about finding Natalee.

I also believe the bouncer found murdered is connected to the case.
No one will come forward with information because the reward is not worth what happened to the bouncer. The good people on the island are trapped like caged animals.
Aruba is run by gangs, much like you see in the inner cities in America. They have a code of silence. If you talk, you die.

Anonymous said...

"...will be permanently scarred by the mystery".

I don't think so.

After 911, people are still working in tall buildings...., people are still flying in airplanes....

Anonymous said...

Give Aruba back to the Spanish. Maybe they would do a better job of enforcing the law than the Dutch.

Anonymous said...

BOYCOTT ARUBA, I HOPE THERE TOURISM GOES DOWN TREMENDOUSLY....I WILL NEVER GO NEAR THAT PLACE, IF THEY CAN'T TELL THE TRUTH AND FIND NATALEE THEN THERE ALL CROOKED PEOPLE...SEEMS LIKE THE ONE'S WHO HAVE CHILDREN OF THERE OWN WOULD KNOW HOW A PARENT WOULD FEEL IF THEY NEVER KNEW WHAT HAPPENED TO THERE CHILD . THE LEAST THING THEY COULD DO IS SOMEONE ANONYMOUS COME FORWARD AND LET THEM KNOW WHERE THE BODY IS, EVEN IF THEY DON'T ARREST ANYONE......GOD BLESS NATALEE!!!I HAVE A TEENAGER SAME AGE AND GRADUATED LAST YEAR, AND I KNOW I WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME LIVING IF I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DAUGHTER......I HOPE ARUBA GETS DESTROYED SOMEHOW, THERE TIME WILL COME....REMEMBER WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND...PAYBACK I BET WILL BE HELL IF SHE IS NOT FOUND, DO PEOPLE REALLY THINK THE ONES INVOLVED WILL SURVIVE, WITH ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WANT THEM TAKEN CARE OF...I THINK SOME OF THE ONES ARRESTED NEED TO GO MISSING AND LET THERE PARENTS SEE HOW BETH FEELS....AT LEAST WE ALL KNOW THEY WILL ALL BURN IN HELL :)