A LETTER TO THE QUEEN

*Here is a great letter to the "Queen Bee" written by Aruban Boycott Contributor, Richard. Great job, Richard!



January 15, 2007

Her Majesty
Queen Beatrix
Noordeinde Palace
Postbus 30412
2500 GK Den Haag
The Netherlands


Her Majesty the Queen:

Your Majesty;

It is reported that Karin Janssen, the chief public prosecutor of Aruba, has left the island upon the expiration of her employment contract and has returned to the Netherlands. This is the same Karin Janssen who, about a year ago, said “fireworks” were imminent in the case of Natalee Holloway, an American who vanished on Aruba on May 30, 2005.


It is not surprising, given Aruba’s litany of promises that turn out to be lies and pledges that are never carried out, that yet another statement by an Aruban official turned out to be empty. After all, Karin Janssen did once say that “we are getting the picture of the puzzle,” and said that it was possible to prosecute a case even in the absence of a body. Unfortunately, neither those statements nor any other have urged Aruba to take action.


I am taking the presumption of writing to urge upon Your Majesty my sincere belief that only determined action by your government now offers a possibility of solving this case.


In 2005, a team of Dutch detectives visited Aruba and said they were certain that Joran van der Sloot knew what happened to Natalee Holloway. In August 2006, Aruba asked your law enforcement authorities to take over the investigation. Dutch agents went to Aruba, collected documents, and returned home. Since then, there has been only silence.


It would be tedious to list all of the evidence that points to the complicity of at least some members of Aruban government and law enforcement personnel in a conspiracy to shield certain persons from prosecution and punishment. Allow me to cite some key items here:


--The lead investigator at the outset of the case, Jan van der Straaten, was a personal friend of Paulus van der Sloot, the father of one of the three main suspects.

--Prosecutor Karin Janssen delayed arresting the three main suspects, the persons last seen with Natalee Holloway, even as two security guards were arrested with no evidence against them other than accusations by the main suspects, who later recanted them.

--Although Dutch law stipulates that lying as a witness is a crime that bears a penalty, the many lies of the three main suspects and of their acquaintances were never prosecuted.

--The van der Sloot home, residence of a key suspect, was not searched for about three weeks, though the homes of the security guard ‘suspects’ were searched upon their arrest.

--When the van der Sloot home finally was searched, Judge Robert Wit, who was there, prohibited Aruban police from executing the terms of their warrant, which allowed a full search of the house and property, limiting the search to Joran van der Sloot’s apartment.

--Paulus van der Sloot was allowed to review and edit his son’s initial statement to police and had access to police files while the belated investigation was proceeding.

--Despite the many contradictions in the testimony of the three main suspects and of their acquaintances, a panel of judges ruled that the three could not be questioned further except on a voluntary basis. A subsequent pledge by Aruban spokesman Steve Cohen that Joran van der Sloot would be re-interrogated was never carried out.


Your Majesty, these are but a few of the issues that have perplexed and angered the American public. More than a year and a half after Natalee Holloway vanished in Aruba, her family remain uninformed as to her fate. Aruba seems indifferent to this injustice.


It is my unpleasant duty further to inform Your Majesty that this month another American tourist has gone missing in the Netherlands Antilles island of Saba. It is reported that officials of that island refused to allow missing-person posters to be displayed, citing fears of an adverse impact on tourism. This case remains unsolved as I write, but the indifference indicated by the island’s stance is highly suggestive of Aruba.


Finally, may I remind Your Majesty that the case of Amy Bradley, an American believed to have been kidnapped in March 1998 from a cruise ship docked at port in Curacao, also is unsolved despite continued reports of sightings of her in apparent situations of duress.


No American now expects honesty, integrity, or impartiality from Aruba’s government. We therefore must implore Your Majesty to ensure that your government will take active measures. It is a source of great disappointment that nothing but silence has been heard from the Dutch investigators, and has led to suspicions that no real action is planned.


Your Majesty is aware of the courage displayed by Lamoral, Count of Egmont, who to his cost defied Spanish tyranny and championed the spirit of liberty. Likewise, the families of Amy Bradley and Natalee Holloway have been pursuing justice, and defying modern tyranny, in an area of the world where Your Majesty wields extensive influence.


May I conclude this letter by beseeching Your Majesty to instruct your government also to defy the tyranny and injustice exemplified by Aruban action and inaction, and to ensure that our two peoples will stand unified in our determination that justice be done.


Respectfully,

Richard