CELESTE SPILLS THE BEANS--WILL IT AMOUNT TO A HILL OF THEM?

Dutch crime reporter Peter de Vries interviewed van der Sloot’s ex girlfriend Celeste.

“The girlfriend speaks out and states that she feels like ...Joran’s father played a larger role. Joran admitted to this girl that there’s only one other person who knows exactly what happened {to Natalee} and obviously you realize he’s insinuating that that’s his father,” explains Dave Holloway.

Holloway says during the expose, Celeste shares conversations and instant messages from van der Sloot.

During the program, Celeste says van der Sloot told her his dad coached him extensively about what to say to police concerning Natalee.

Celeste goes on to recount a conversation where van der Sloot told her he knew how to dispose of dead bodies so they’d never be found.

Dave Holloway says he believes Celeste is telling the truth, but he doesn’t believe it will be enough to charge or convict van der Sloot of Natalee’s death.

“As far as Aruba’s concerned, I doubt very seriously if they are going to do anything. It seems like every time you try to give them some information it’s discounted by the judges who are over this case,” says Holloway.

http://www.nbc13.com/vtm/news/local/article/dutch_expose_reveals_new_information_into_natalee_holloways_disappearance/46176/

JORAN ARRESTED!

It was just reported on the Nancy Grace show that authorities have found Joran van der Sloot somewhere off the coast of Thailand. Possibly KO SAMUI. Conveniently, there is an airport there as well.

Under Thai law, Joran faces up to EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON.


More as the story develops...

OTHER POSSIBLE THAILAND COASTAL CITIES HE COULD BE AT:

WATCH NANCY GRACE DISCUSS

WHAT A "REAL PROSECUTOR" WOULD DO!

I don't care what country you are in. When you are a prosecutor, you gather all the evidence and present it. You don't sit on leads and witness statements dismissing them with your own personal opinion.



Since Hans Mos is Dutch, could he be friends with Papa van der Sloot? Is that why he is stalling on taking any of the events in the last year, beginning with Joran's secretly recorded statement that he threw Natalee into the ocean, seriously?

A quote from the article below states, "Illustrious Dutch scientists told De Vries that these ‘TV-confessions’ are reliable. They don’t think that Joran had lied."

If what Joran said was not true, then he wouldn't have said it!

If Hans Mos doesn't trust these taped confessions, then why would "illustrious scientists" think otherwise? Wouldn't they be considered "expert witnesses" as to the validity of Joran's confession in Court?

Why is Mos not giving all this evidence and the new evidence (witness statements) to the judges? WHY NOT LET THEM decide what Joran's fate should be?




ORANJESTAD – The statement of the new witness about Joran’s involvement in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, is ‘very incriminating’ for him, indicated the spokesperson of the Public Prosecution's Office as a result of Sunday’s programme of crime-journalist Peter R. de Vries, in which this witness was mentioned. The justice department in the Netherlands has sent this statement to Aruba.


It is probably a confession of a friend of Joran, in which she aid that Joran had once insinuated having been involved with the disappearance of Natalee. Joran had also told her that he had misled the police in Aruba. “However, the witness statement is not specific enough regarding the fact of the disappearance of Holloway”, said the spokesperson.


The statement of the witness will be added to the dossier that has been brought back to life since the Public Prosecution reopened the investigation into Joran van der Sloot in February of this year, as a result of the first talked-about broadcast about him in the De Vries’ programme.


Purpose of the investigation is to determine whether Joran van der Sloot had told the truth in the secret recordings made by De Vries. Illustrious Dutch scientists told De Vries that these ‘TV-confessions’ are reliable. They don’t think that Joran had lied.


“Finding new evidence is difficult in a case that is for years in investigation”, explained the spokesperson of the Public Prosecution's Office. “None of the many tips have led to further proof. Some of De Vries’ tips are still being investigated.”


http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_49169.php

RENEE GIELEN: "WHY HASN'T THE FAMILY BEEN INVESTIGATED?"

ORANJESTAD – With her documentary “Natalee. The Unrevealed Timelines’ which premiered on Telearuba on Saturday, the movie maker Renee Gielen wanted to once more emphasize the reputed, ‘dubious’ role the Holloway family played in the disappearance of Natalee. Various speakers repeat what has already had a lot of attention in the media: why hasn’t the family been investigated? Did the FBI thwart the investigation? Was there political pressure put on the Kingdom?

One of the former head of the Holloway investigation, Gerold Dompig, has answered all these questions to Gielen, just as he did previously in front of the Dutch tv program ‘Netwerk’ and ‘EenVandaag’. The film maker had already heard it when she spoke to him last year. After Dompig was sidetracked by the FBI, was threatened by the FBI and was put under pressure by the American consul on Curaçao, he revealed to every journalist which asked him that there were obscure interests at stake.

According to him the highest ranks saw to it that the investigation did not focus on the Holloway family themselves. This was possible due to the fact that the Holloway family counted the American vice-president Dick Cheney as part of their circle of friends, says Dompig in the documentary. He was responsible for having set the case rolling. That is why also the American minister of Foreign Affairs Condoleeza Rice had contact with the Dutch government. That is why expensive F-16 planes were sent to Aruba to scan the island. This is all brought forward by Gielen in her movie in which she shows how the Justice department never actually gave a clear reaction to the public.

“The approach of this documentary is not sensational and is not meant to deal with Joran van der Sloot”, says the Curacaoan film maker right before the premier. “I focus on aspects of the case which others left lying.” She traveled to the US, to the state of Alabama where the Holloway family come from. She did not achieve however, with the exception of Natalee’s father Dave, to come into contact with her friends. Dompig experienced the same thing when he wanted to question them, but this is being prevented on a diplomatic level, Gielen reveals. She did manage to interview a well-known American dj in the US which had his doubts from the beginning about the American interference in the case. “And why a boycott against the whole country (Aruba), while there are cases in the US where Danish people and Germans have disappeared”, he points out.

Except for Dompig, Gielen also talked to various people on Aruba about the case. Apparently an ambulance plane had arrived on Aruba (too) shortly after the disappearance of the girl to fly her to the US once found, an account which Gielen had already revealed to the media. The plane had stood on standby on the airport for days, without having informed the Aruban authorities. Why was it better to keep this from the Aruban authorities? There’s also the question as to why the family left the police in uncertainty about a possible golden tip which mother Beth received shortly after the disappearance? A lot of questions which also Gielen doesn’t have the answers to in the documentary, but which remain fascinating.

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_49115.php

ORANJESTAD – Renown scientists believe that the ‘tv-confession’ by Joran van der Sloot (21) about his involvement in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway is reliable. Their statement was made after crime reporter Peter R. De Vries requested to review the conversations between Van der Sloot and infiltrator Patrick van der Eem. The scholars don’t believe that Joran lied, which he claimed he did after the results of the undercover action. Also concerning the reputed trafficking in women, Van der Sloot reported that it was bluff.

According to professor of psychology Harald Merkelback, Joran felt ‘at ease’ in the car. “His story against Van der Eem made a very authentic impression. A crucial moment lies in the movements he makes when he says that Natalee started trembling. You don’t act like that when a story is fabricated.” The scientists Corine de Ruiter (forensic psychology) and Peter van Koppen (legal psychology) also believe that the story doesn’t come over rehearsed.

In yesterday’s broadcast by De Vries, a friend of the suspect by the name of Celes said that Van der Sloot made insinuations about getting rid of a body and hinted that his father knew more about the case. “Only one person knows exactly what happened. He made Joran always lie and twist things around”. The friend had given an detailed testimony at the Dutch investigation bureau.

Public Prosecution

The Public Prosecutor in the Netherlands will not be taking any steps yet after the broadcast. “If there’s a case of a criminal offence, then further investigation has to be done”, says a spokesperson of the National Prosecutor’s Office. “Punishable acts are not determined on the basis of a television broadcast.”

The Public Prosecution on Aruba is still conferring about a possible reaction, says spokesperson Ann Angela. Also about whether the ‘new witness’ plays a role in the investigation. Only in December will they decide whether or not action will be taken against Van der Sloot. His testimonies on tv seem to be insufficient material for the Justice Department to prosecute him.

Whether the Public Prosecution will also investigate possible criminal practices of the 21 year old Van der Sloot is left in the middle. It is possible that the Thai authorities will act as according to criminal reporter De Vries, while in the Thai capital Bangkok Van der Sloot proposed to pay Thai women to go to the Netherlands to work for the sex industry. It did not result in real business. In the new undercover action Van der Sloot did accept a downpayment of 1000 euros for the preparations of this ‘human trafficking’, something which could be punishable.

Fugitive

Joran van der Sloot did not wait for the Thai authorities. According to the Dutch media he’s on the run after he was exposed as a trafficker of women on Sunday. Shortly before the broadcast yesterday of De Vries’ program he disappeared without a trace. The Thai justice department has woken up following the commotion surrounding the case and has asked the Dutch embassy for video material.

“They want the broadcast translated, so that the Justice Department in Thailand can view it from a criminal point of view”, decalred De Vries today. “They have told me that they will come into action as the approach to trafficking of women is very important.” The Thai embassy wasn’t available for comments today.

Joran van der Sloot has threatened to send a hired killer from Thailand to Peter R. de Vries if the criminal reporter doesn’t stop trailing him or approaching Van der Sloots’ friends or family. “If it really is bullshit again, I will send someone for him”, wrote Van der Sloot this week in an msn-message.

According to a witness, Joran was at a party in Bangkok last Friday evening, but didn’t return home after that. Another man claims to have seen him on an inland flight to the island of Koh Samui off the Thai coast. Van der Sloot’s lawyer, Bert de Rooij, reported that the talks with his client are strenuous.

Millions of viewers

According to the figures by the Nederlandse Stichting KijkOnderzoek (Dutch viewers research foundation) De Vries’ broadcast last night attracted almost 3.5 million viewers. That’s half of the number of viewers which followed Van der Sloot’s confession at the beginning of the year in a broadcast about Natalee Holloway. The broadcast wasn’t aired on Aruba or in the Netherlands Antilles.

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_49114.php

HANS MOS TO CLOSE NATALEE HOLLOWAY CASE FOR GOOD

Hans Mos--The Worst Prosecutor in the World

An undisclosed source close to Dave Holloway announced this information in an email:

Dutch Prosecutor Hans Mos has said:

1 - The recent Joran/Thailand sex trafficking story is unrelated to the Natalee case so there is nothing relevant to Natalee's case.

2 - The new statements by Joran's girlfriend: Mos says this does not add enough new info or anything he can use against Joran, so he is dismissing her statement.

3 - Mos plans to finally close Natalee case in December (for good this time).

The only reason it remained open this year was De Vries' tape that went global media which forced him to open it - but since then he sees no valid reasons to keep it open so he will close it in December.


PLEASE NOTE MR. MOS--There is NO statute of limitations for MURDER. You may "close" this case, but it will never be closed to the American public and all those who support the Holloway family who want justice for Natalee and that she be found and returned home to her family.

JORAN VAN DER SLOOT--A PROFESSIONAL PIMP

Joran's New Job--Sex Trafficker

Joran van der Sloot, the young man believed to be involved the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway on Aruba, is now involved in selling Thai women into prostitution, claims tv crime reporter Peter R de Vries.


De Vries won an Emmy for his tv report earlier this year in which Van der Sloot is caught on hidden camera talking about Natalee's body was dumped at sea. Holloway disappeared in 2005 and the case has never been officially solved.


Now De Vries has made a second report based on an undercover operation in Thailand, reports Friday’s Telefgraaf. The paper has seen a rough cut of the programme which is due to be shown on tv on Sunday night.


According to this latest exposé, Van der Sloot makes €10,000 for every girl he delivers to the Dutch prostitution market. The girls will work for ‘just 300 dollars a month’ he is reported as saying on camera.


During conversations taped in a hotel in Bangkok, Van der Sloot tells a man posing as a Dutch sex industry boss that he can organise visas and passports for the girls, who think they are going to the Netherlands to work as dancers.


De Vries tells the Telegraaf: ‘The pictures show how little respect this 21-year-old has for the lives of others. The fact that he goes into the trafficking of women after the disappearance of Natalee is typical of him… Making preparations for people smuggling is a crime. It could land him into big problems in Thailand.’ The programme will be broadcast on Sunday night.


http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2008/11/holloway_suspect_trafficks_in.php

A LETTER FROM GRETA--AN ASIAN CONNECTION?

So Greta visits Asia for some secret mission? Maybe she's spying on Joran, who is now living in Thailand with the rest of their pervert population. Maybe she's trying to pull a "de Vries" and get her own undercover "befriender" to get Joran to sing like a bird again. Wouldn't be of any use...no one in Aruba will ever prosecute him.





November 6, 2008 by Greta Van Susteren

I get emails non stop asking me about Natalee Holloway investigation. I hate to tease you this way (read below)..but I also don’t know how to answer the non stop (since 2005) emails and I think I owe you an answer. Viewers have been critical of us for not working on this story and the truth is we have been. I understand why the criticism as it appears we just dropped it and moved on. We did not. It just did not seem like a good idea to tell you what we have been doing until now. As you will see, we have not stopped working on this investigation. We have been working on it since the first day I stepped foot on Aruba in June of 2005.

So what is new? Well…now that the election is over I will tell you where we stand in this investigation (well, I am not telling all, but enough to prove to you that we are still working on this) …

So here it is: in the midst of all the traveling for the election coverage beginning last spring, I flew to Asia (yes, Asia) for a quick trip to work on the Natalee case. I left on a Friday, flew 18 hours to Asia…upon landing, did fast work on the ground….including taping an important interview (which I have not yet shown you but expect to soon)…and then, without sleep, jumped back on a plane…flew back 18 hours…and was back in the USA by about 9am on Monday. I was back on the air for ON THE RECORD at 10pm that night. Yes, no one knew about the trip (other than Fox.) We learned something new in Asia — and from a source that is very important to this investigation.

To try and figure our more (corroborate/disprove) what we learned in Asia, I also took other trips - including one out to Seattle and I was back in one day. I took an early morning flight…interviewed someone…jumped back on the plane. It has been, as you might imagine, exhausting trying to fly all over the globe doing this Natalee Holloway case while also meeting my responsibilities for election coverage.

Fox has been great throughout this investigation …Fox has been 100 per cent supportive of us attempting to finish this still incomplete investigative story……Fox has spent a fortune making it possible for us to track down leads all over the place. Some have been worthwhile and some not.

So now what? well…we are working on the final part of our investigation…looking to corroborate what we have or disprove what we have…we need to make a decision how to show it to you. Do we show it all to you, including the wild goose chases we have been on? I am sort of in favor of showing you all since it does show you how we gather news…what we do ..the behind the scenes part of our business that I like to include you in.

….if all goes as planned, we will air this soon…so yes, we are working on it…and we have not dropped it.

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/

"SUPERBETH" AHEAD OF THE BATTLE--SPEAKS TO SMU STUDENTS

Beth Holloway keeps on speaking, a definite gold winner contender for victims everywhere by continuing her fight to keep Natalee's story alive. Beth recently spoke at Southern Methodist University in Texas.

Her final message about Natalee's tragedy was poetic:

"The hope that filled her heart fills mine. It brought me here tonight and it will see me through tomorrow. Please remember that you have your own back [while traveling], and please remember Natalee."

We will not forget you, Natalee! I don't care how long it takes, this Boycott Blog will stay up and continue to feed the minds of people throughout the entire world!

Southern Methodist University

By Johnny Brackett


For many graduating high school seniors, taking a trip after graduation is tradition. Parents watch as their children pack their bags to celebrate this landmark in their life. Many times, these parents will remind them to take safety precautions because they are going on a trip without them. They double-check that their children have remembered to bring the essentials: a toothbrush, extra underwear for freak accidents and in some cases, their passport. They see their children off and watch with glee as their pride and joy waltzes off to celebrate one of their largest accomplishments to date.

For Beth Holloway, this day was one of her proudest. Her daughter, Natalee, had recently graduated from high school with over a 4.0 grade point average, awarding her a full academic scholarship to the University of Alabama. She had just completed a dance career with her high school team and developed into a strikingly beautiful young woman. Holloway drove her daughter to a friend's house, where she would depart for the airport and fly to Aruba to celebrate graduation. She said her goodbyes to Natalee and watched as the dark silhouette of her daughter's body walked up the front path and went into the house. She didn't know at the time, but this would be the last time she would ever see her daughter.

Tuesday night, Beth Holloway, a woman who Barbara Walters selected as one of the world's most fascinating people, shared the tragic story of her daughter's kidnapping to SMU students at McFarlin Auditorium.

On May 30, 2005, the last day of her trip to Aruba, Natalee Holloway vanished. Sponsored by Pi Beta Phi and Hotel Palomar, Beth Holloway shared her story and how she has overcome such a huge obstacle. Liz Grayson, coordinator of the event and member of Pi Beta Phi, said Holloway's story is valuable to students.

"She has more courage than most people and after the tragic loss of her daughter, she has fought to increase awareness of a topic that is often overlooked," Grayson said.

Holloway said four days after dropping her daughter off for her senior trip, she received the phone call that parents dread. She was told that her daughter didn't arrive at the airport that morning. Holloway recalls quickly making arrangements to get to Aruba. Upon arrival, Holloway found Natalee's belongings neatly packed ready to return home. Natalee's friends said the last they saw her she was getting into a silver Honda outside Carlos' n' Charlie's, a popular nightclub in Aruba. This is the last living memory of her, Holloway said.

Holloway said that once she got to Aruba she followed a wild goose chase of tips from both officials and strangers. She spent days roaming the streets in search of her daughter. Holloway said the hardest part was trying to find her daughter in a country that does not honor the same laws as the United States. She said she was told of many possibilities of her daughter's whereabouts: in a Jeep, stowed away in a crack house, or even abducted and taken into slavery.

"As we frantically searched for our daughter, [Aruban officials] asked us not to disturb their crack houses, not to disturb their prostitutes and asked our family how much money we had," Holloway said.

For Holloway, trying to get help in this desperate situation was like being in another world, and in reality, she was. She said that despite all the tips and running around, Natalee was nowhere to be found.

Beginning to lose hope, Holloway said that she was descending to the lowest point the human spirit can fall. She recalls trying to find another way to survive the nightmare. The hope that she would find her daughter was rapidly becoming a fantasy, she said.

"I became resilient and decided I would pick up one foot, put it down, and the other would follow. There was much work that needed to be done for Natalee," Holloway said.

Holloway returned to the states where she was greeted with overwhelming support not just by her hometown community, but also from the entire nation and abroad. She said that magnificent things happen when people come together to support others. From volunteering to help with Holloway's search for answers to simply tying a yellow ribbon to their mailbox, vast amounts of people came to her aide, she said.

Just months ago, all of the hard work paid off. Holloway said she got the break she had been waiting for. The first and only suspect, Joran Van der Sloot, the driver of the silver Honda, confessed on a hidden camera to sexually assaulting Natalee. He said after she had a seizure he disposed of her body in the ocean. Holloway said she believes Natalee was given a date rape drug and overdosed, causing the seizures that Van der Sloot described.

Joran Van der Sloot is the son of an Aruban judge. Holloway said that despite his confession, the Aruban officials won't do anything against a judge's son because their system doesn't work like the United States'. Holloway compared Natalee's situation to The Wizard of Oz, saying that when you leave the United States, you are "not in Kansans anymore." (SEE RELATED ARTICLE about "not being in Kansas" anymore.) Travelers must adhere to the customs of the country they are visiting, she said. Being a teacher, Holloway asked herself what she could do to teach others from her tragic lessons.

New Venture--TravelEd

Since Natalee's disappearance, Holloway has founded TravelEd workshop. TravelEd is a program for college and high school students to teach about pre-departure education and safety. Holloway said that her daughter had a false sense of security among her many friends and was blind-sided. It is critically important to prepare for going abroad before leaving, she said. Her hope is that she can make TravelEd available to high schools everywhere.

"I want you to remember it is now your responsibility to watch out for yourself. Your parents aren't going to be around to watch over you anymore," Holloway said.

Students reacted to Holloway's story with emotion and sincerity. Megan Haslam, a junior public policy major and member of Pi Beta Phi, said that listening to Holloway's story was an eye-opening experience.

"It's devastating to hear that a family had to go through this. The important thing for those of us lucky enough to hear the story is to take the lessons Holloway is teaching to heart," Haslam said.

Holloway said that hope is what got her through such an upsetting experience. She said hope is a universal message that better times are ahead. It nourishes the soul just as food nourishes the body.

"The hope that filled her heart fills mine. It brought me here tonight and it will see me through tomorrow. Please remember that you have your own back [while traveling], and please remember Natalee," Holloway said in closing.


http://www.smudailycampus.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&uStory_id=819952cf-6950-42fa-abef-ce3ac38e6a4a

PETER DE VRIES MAKES NEW HOLLOWAY DOCUMENTARY?

New tv show on Holloway disappearance

Wednesday 05 November 2008


TV crime reporter Peter R de Vries has made a new tv programme about the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway on Aruba and the role of Dutch student Joran van der Sloot, reports the Telegraaf.


A previous show, in which Van der Sloot was secretly recorded talking about the girl's death, won De Vries an Emmy award.


The follow-up show will be broadcast on Sunday.

© DutchNews.nl

Anyone know anything about this?

I'm about as clueless as Sarah Palin on this news.

EVEN THE DUTCH DON'T LIKE ARUBANS!

Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles have launched a joint protest against Dutch plans to introduce a database specifically for young people of Antillean and Aruban origin who cause problems in the Netherlands.

An Aruban government spokesman condemned the database as discrimination and an infringement of fundamental human rights.

In September, the Dutch Council of State ruled that such a database was justified as a measure to combat the trouble being caused by Antillean and Aruban youths in the Netherlands.

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6033024/Aruba-and-Antilles-slam-Dutch-database

"GOODFELLAS" BUSTED IN WILLEMSTAD--DID IT AFFECT ARUBA?

What are you willing to bet that this

criminal organization's drugs trickled into Aruba?

WILLEMSTAD/BREDA – The investigating magistrate in Breda has detained three suspects which were arrested last week on grounds of their involvement with an international criminal organization.

Two Dutch main suspects which were arrested at the Good Fellas café on the Wilhelminaplein in Curaçao have been deported to the Netherlands. A third main suspect is awaiting his extradition in the south of Spain.

The investigation by the National Crime Squad is focussing on a criminal organization involved in the exploitation of drug labs, the import of chemicals for the production of synthetic drugs and money laundering. The National Crime Squad of the National Police Force (KLPD) is supported by the FIOD-ECD.

During the investigation there was a close collaboration on Curaçao between the Public Prosecutor's Office in Willemstad, the Investigative Collaboration Team (RST), and a collaboration between the police corps of the Netherlands Antilles, on Aruba, the KLPD and the Police Force Curaçao.

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_48627.php

ARUBA PROMOTES PROSTITUTION VACATION GETAWAYS

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

BONAIRE MURDER CASE SOLVED--HOW CONVENIENT

Seems as though the suspect Ryan P. has confessed to killing Marlies van der Kouwe. It's surprising they took his word for it considering when Joran confessed to killing Natalee the Aruban prosecutor (Hans Mos) did NOTHING. I am glad that justice will be served for Marlies, but I am DAMN MAD that a confession in Aruba means NOTHING!!!

Will someone find Joran and just take him out?! I'm being rather blunt this morning, but I'm damn pissed off and sick and tired of the thought that this bastard is still walking the streets. At least OJ got his karma shoved back in his sorry-ass...among other things that are waiting for him.

The Dutch get justice for one of their own...but for an American? Forget it.

BOYCOTT ARUBA!

WILLEMSTAD – The murder of Marlies van der Kouwe seems to be solved. Suspect Ryan P. has confessed that he has strangled Marlies, said P.’s mother today.

The 27-year old man said that he wanted to steal Marlies’ bag, but when the victim put up a fight and grabbed her attacker by the throat, he strangled her. The mother says that her son made a confession before the police in the presence of his lawyer and her. P. had also told the police that he had strangled Marlies at the location where he had pulled her off her bike. He then transported the body with a motorbike to the place where the 24-year old pharmacist-assistant was found late last week. His mother says that Ryan is remorseful of what happened.

The victim disappeared in the night of Saturday, September 20 to Sunday, September 21. She was pulled off her bicycle on her way home. Her remains were finally found in the mondi (woods) behind the Amboina neighbourhood last Friday. Ryan P., who was suspected of kidnapping then and murder now, is in custody since four weeks ago. He was transferred to the Bon Futuro-prison in Curacao after Marlies’ remains were found. He was flown back to Bonaire yesterday evening under strict police escort. To get more clarity in the case, the police took him to the place where Marlies was found on Friday. Several media reported that where the skull and some bones were found on Friday is not far from where the rest of the remains were found. The suspect is not allowed visitors, with the exception of his lawyer and the investigation team. Such measure is taken to make sure that the suspect cannot frustrate the investigation by for example influencing witnesses, said the ANP.

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_48337.php

MARLIES FOUND NEAR EVE OF NATALEE'S 22nd BIRTHDAY

Isn't it a little ironic that Bonaire has found the body of Marlies van der Kouwe near the eve of Natalee's 22nd birthday, October 21?

Marlies was found in four weeks. Natalee has been missing for almost four years. When will she receive justice and properly put to rest where she belongs? Bring her back home!

Happy birthday Natalee! WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

MARLIES VAN DER KOUWE BODY FOUND

KRALENDIJK -- The remains of the four weeks ago disappeared Marlies van der Kouwe are found. She was buried in the mondi (woods) in the district Amboina. The Bonerian police and justice confirmed this news in a press conference this afternoon.

“The remains of Marlies van der Kouwe are found. From dental comparisons we are 99.9 percent sure that the remains belong to Marlies. DNA-test must give us the other 0.1 percent certitude”, says prosecutor David van Delft. But this doesn’t mean that the case is solved. With regard to the tactical detective investigation, there is still a lot to do. To this day, the main suspect Ryan Pieters keeps denying his involvement, which means that the authorities must come up with hard evidence, says the prosecutor. Important with the recovering of the body of the Dutch 24-year old pharmacist’s assistance were the declarations of people from the immediate surroundings of main suspect Ryan Pieters (24), who was arrested a few days after her disappearance.

The police have closed off the area where the body was found in Amboina, hermetically and members of the Volunteer Corps Bonaire are watching it. Thorough investigations are being performed by forensic investigators and detectives in this area. The body of Van der Kouwe was found with the assistance of German trackers.

Marlies van der Kouwe was on her way home four weeks ago after a night out. Witnesses saw her be pulled from her bike. She was since then never seen or heard from again.

Pieters, who had spent years in prison for rape and abduction, was seen with her and arrested. He didn’t want to cooperate with the police investigation and kept his mouth shut about this subject. (Sound familiar? Maybe he learned that tactic from Joran Van der Sloot?)

Three other persons were arrested last weekend, including the 30-year old brother of Ryan. One of them is meanwhile released.

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_48197.php

LIFETIME TO MAKE NATALEE MOVIE

Lifetime Movie Network has announced pre-production on "The Natalee Holloway Story," slated to air next year.

The ripped-from-the-headlines pic will dramatize the story of the 18-year-old Alabama woman who disappeared in May 2005 during a high school trip to Aruba. Although no body was recovered, it's been widely speculated that she was murdered.

The network will be "working closely" with Holloway's mother, Beth Twitty, said LMN senior veep in charge of original movies, Tanya Lopez, "to raise awareness of how to keep our children safe at all times."

Helen Verno, exec VP of movies and miniseries at Sony Pictures Television, said the telepic will concentrate on the "love story" between mother and daughter.

Verno's own daughter, Judith ("The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story"), will exec produce, along with made-for vet Frank Von Zerneck ("Spring Break Shark Attack").

The Holloway project follows LMN's April dramatization "The Capture of the Green River Killer," its highest-rated telepic to date.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993523.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

DE VRIES DISSED FOR "GOLDEN RING" AWARD

Peter De Vries snubbed at home for documentary on Natalee Holloway

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The Dutchman who won an Emmy for his television documentary about the disappearance of U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway has been snubbed by the Netherlands' annual television awards.


Peter de Vries wasn't among the nominees for the "Golden Ring" awards for his Feb. 3, 2008, program, which was among the most highly viewed broadcasts in the history of Dutch television, with an estimated seven million viewers in a nation of 16 million. It was based on hidden-camera interviews with Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch youth last seen with Holloway before her disappearance in Aruba on May 30, 2005.


The program won the 2008 International Emmy for Current Affairs but was ignored by the Dutch awards in favour of Desperate Housewives clone "Gooische Vrouwen," the variety show "Nice! De Leeuw Again" and a talent-hunt called "Looking for Evita." The nominees were announced Thursday, and a winner will be chosen Oct. 24.


"It doesn't keep me awake at night," De Vries told Dutch Weblog GeenStijl in a video interview. "I have an Emmy at home, it's standing on my fireplace, gleaming, and that's better than any other prize you could win in this industry."

SUSPECT FOUND AND INTERROGATED IN CASE OF MISSING DUTCH WOMAN MARLIES VAN DER KOUWEN

Notable facts:

• Suspect was released from prison a month ago.

• In 2002 he was convicted to eight years for raping a woman at Belnem, on Bonaire.

If the suspect was convicted to eight years for rape, then why was he on the streets only after 6 years?




KRALENDIJK -- The team of investigation has started with the interrogation of the 24-year old Rayan P., who’s being suspected of involvement in the disappearance of the Dutch Marlies van der Kouwen The examining judge has placed the suspect into custody on Friday.


P. was arrested on Thursday. Four houses were searched, of which three are where the suspect supposedly stays and one where a scooter was found. “The police confiscated several things and also the scooter, which is being investigated for tracks”, says Chief of Police John Schagen. Two other searches were conducted on Friday, and in addition to that, search operations with three tracker dogs in the course of the afternoon yesterday. They did this in the area where Marlies disappeared in the night of Saturday to Sunday. One of the tracker dogs is from the police corps in Curacao and the other two are from the Dutch Corps National Police Services.


The search operation continues today. “The investigation-team and the Public Prosecutor received dozens of tips in the past few days, including some very usable, which are being investigated. It doesn’t matter what the tip is, each single one is welcome. People that think that they have information that may have to do with the case, are incited to report this to the detective service via telephone number 717-8555, or 911, which is in operation 24 hours a day”, says Schagen.


http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_47338.php

DUTCH WOMAN GOES MISSING ON BONAIRE

Isn't this what we thought about Aruba?

"Our island is too small to live with such a terrible secret".

Dutch woman abducted in the Dutch Antilles

25 September 2008


The Dutch Antilles island of Bonaire is in shock after a young Dutch woman went missing during the weekend.


AD, De Volkskrant and Trouw report on the abduction that bears similarities to the Holloway case that took place on Aruba. Twenty-four-year-old Marlies van der Kouwe disappeared after an evening at a popular bar on Saturday night. She was seen being dragged off her bicycle by one or two assailants on a scooter. Only her bicycle and flip-flops were found.


The people of Bonaire point out the differences from the Holloway case. Ms van der Kouwe was not drinking, while Ms Holloway was. Aruba is a densely populated, international resort, whereas Bonaire only has 15,000 residents and fewer tourists.


Ms van der Kouwe was on the island for three weeks where she was working at a chemist’s. Born on Curacao, she was no stranger to the Antilles. The local police force received reinforcements from Curacao and the Netherlands. The coastguard is also helping to search for the young woman.


The owner of the bar where she was last seen expects it won't be long before someone comes forward with information. "Our island is too small to live with such a terrible secret".


http://www.expatica.com/nl/articles/news/Dutch-news-in-brief_-Thursday-25-September-2008-.html

ARUBA CONTINUES TO LIE ABOUT TOURISM

BOYCOTT WATCH REPORT!

Summary:Aruba continues to lie about tourism numbers, even as a double-murderer escaped from jail in Aruba, thanks to more police incompetence.


It should be no surprise that Boycott Watch has criticized Aruba for fudging tourism numbers in the face of the boycotts called against that country because of the way they handled the Natalee Holloway disappearance, and now murder case. One of the comments made by Fred Taub, President of Boycott Watch while on Your World with Neil Cavuto on the Fox News Channel is that Aruba wanted to get the case out of the news to get tourism numbers up (See: here, here and here). Boycott Watch also broke the story about how Aruba lied about tourism numbers, claiming tourism was up when in actuality, it was down. Aruba was simply more interested in promoting their tourism industry than solving the murder, as evidenced by the fact that Aruba later admitted they lied about tourism numbers, essentially stating that Fred Taub of Boycott Watch was right all along (See: Aruba: Boycott Watch was Right!).


One would have thought, therefore, that Aruba would stop lying about tourism numbers, but that is not the case. Amigoe, the newspaper of Aruba, reported a near 90 percent occupancy of hotel rooms, and specifically 89.1% for the past eight months. In the hotel industry, that is considered full occupancy since it takes time to get rooms prepared for the next guests. Considering that it takes about an hour to properly prepare a hotel room for the next guests not to mention the food service and other tourist services, this means the islands unemployment rate would be very low, and the economy should therefore be booming.

The July 2008 report of the Central Bank of Aruba tells a different story, a "1.3 percentage points decrease to 78.4 percent in July 2008, compared to a year earlier. In essence, the Aruba Tourism Ministry is once again inflating the actual numbers to reporters in order to gain good PR. Additionally; the Central Bank of Aruba's quarterly report stated "mixed results," mainly because while tourism is up, "the construction and oil sectors incurred a slowdown in production." This is significant because the Central Bank warned Aruba that they need to diversify so they are not totally reliant on tourism. Also, construction slowdowns indicate a slowing economy.


It is clear that Aruba wants to do everything they can to increase tourism, which is the biggest chunk of their economy, and they will lie to make people think it is the hottest place to vacation, pun intended. What they will not tell you, however, is that the Aruba Police are still incompetent. Amigoe recently reported a double-murderer in their jail escaped by simply using an extension ladder. Yes, the police who botched the Natalee Holloway murder case left a ladder for murderers and other prisoners in their jail to escape with, and did not bother to make sure such prisoners were secure. Despite the small size of the island, the murderer is still free after 72 hours.


While Aruba is trying to promote a safe and secure vacation paradise, they are clearly doing a poor job proving it to the world. They claim a safe environment for tourists, yet we know they are prone to lie, even after being caught in the act and finally admitting it more than a year later. The best way to gain trust is to start by telling the truth, and Aruba appears to be addicted to lies, even while knowing their claims can be independently checked, which Boycott Watch did. Unlike the Aruba government, the Central bank of Aruba is concerned with financial reports and not political grandstanding, which is why the banking numbers are more reliable. Meanwhile, Aruba's government clearly has no problems telling the world their Island is safe, despite practically inviting one murderer to escape from jail and allowing a confessed murderer stay out of jail. Perhaps Aruba should change its motto from "one happy island" to "return-airline tickets optional."