WE AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE...

Why Do We Need To Keep The Grassroots Movement Going?

By Meri, Aruban Boycott Contributor


There has been a response to the call for a boycott of the Island of Aruba. There have been some decreasing tourist dollars flowing into Aruba. There are people who are aware of what has happened on Aruba and will not plan to vacation there. There are also people who regularly frequented Aruba who no longer do. Does that mean that we can rest on our laurels and stop the discussion?

No!!!

We need to keep reminding people why we are calling for the boycott and we need to do it on a regular basis. I really don't want to hurt the people who live and work on Aruba. I don't want to see their families suffer as a result of a decrease in tourism to their Island home. But, there is no getting around the fact that Aruba simply is incapable of policing itself.


There is no protection for people who visit Aruba. The police are not aware of how to conduct a criminal investigation and they show no respect to victims of crime when it does occur. All you need to do is watch the various cable news shows to listen to the pleas of the family of Natalee Holloway and realize that we have been hearing those very same pleas for over a year. To see Beth or Dave on television asking that someone in charge tell them what's going on; to fill them in on where the investigation is headed or if there IS an investigation going on is heartbreaking.


Because of the extreme secrecy of the ALE and the Prosecutor's office Beth and Dave had to file a costly civil lawsuit to attempt to get answers as to what happened to their daughter. I doubt that this particular remedy even entered their minds all those months ago when they hoped to be kept in the loop and informed on a regular basis of what was going on.

What do the police know, who do they suspect, what evidence do they have, where does the case stand?

No answers, just more questions which forced them to take extreme measures and file process of service on Joran and Paulus van der Sloot when they stepped onto American soil in New York City. There are no guarantees that this lawsuit will go forward due to jurisdictional issues but it was the only remedy left. The court of last resort...


Because the family of Natalee Holloway remains in limbo and because they are not being treated with either respect, dignity or honesty by the authorities on Aruba we MUST continue our efforts to keep the boycott going and to attempt to make it even stronger and bigger. We promised to support Natalee's family and this is one way that we can show that support. They deserve no less and should be given a lot more but this is something that we can all do.


Tell your friends and family members, your neighbors and your co-workers and urge them to vacation somewhere else. Tell them that they are not going to be properly protected in Aruba if they are the victims of a crime. That's true for many places in the world including parts of the USA, but Natalee disappeared on Aruba so they must be the focus of our movement and we can't lose sight of that until Natalee's family get the answers that they are entitled to and that they need.


Aruba has forced itself into a corner and now the burden is on them to show that they can protect the tourists who visit their Country. Thus far, they have shown the exact opposite. Natalee is still missing and we don't know what happened to her. Aruba is silent and we have no answers. Until those answers are forthcoming the boycott must continue.