Diario: Philanthropist and powerful lawyer from America start a national campaign against Aruba

FILANTROPO HUNTO CU ABOGADO PODEROSO NA MERCA TA START CU CAMPAÃ’A NACIONAL CONTRA ARUBA

Diabierna, 30 September, 2005

From todays Diario, a translation of the article entitled, Philanthropist and powerful lawyer from America start a national campaign against Aruba. (Hat Tip: Get a Grip)

ORANJESTAD (AAN): The MSNBC show Rita Crosby Live which ran Wednesday spoke with a powerful lawyer and a Philadelphia philanthropist who are going to help to launch a national campaign in America in efforts to boycott Aruba.

Natalee Holloway’s mother, Beth Twitty, was in Philadelphia Wednesday to meet with a renowned philanthropist from that city, Joe Mammana. She also met with a lawyer because she doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned.

From here, Natalee’s family wants to explore any any option they have available to find their daughter. Now, with the help of a powerful lawyer, they will start that process.

The lawyers are Marty Trichon and Elliott Curson. One is a former prosecutor, who is a very ‘hard core’ person and will look at the case from all angles. He works in the style of reason first, and emotion later.

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Rudy Croes: “Twitty’s attitude is incredible”. SO IS ARUBA’s FREEDOM OF SPEECH, “SHUT HER UP”

From Amigoe, Friday 30 September 2005, Rudy Croes the Minister of Justice makes some comments regarding Beth Twitty that can only respond to as “things that make you sat hmmm.” Can anyone imagine being banned from a country because of what they say? The United States, where freedom of speech is so sacred and protected that we allow flag burning and pornography as a protected symbol of free speech. However, Aruba seems to think at one persons words make them persona non grata. The nightmare PR adventure continues for Aruba.

According to Justice-minister Rudy Croes (MEP), there is not much that can be done against Twitty’s attitude. He says that declaring her as persona non grata is no option. The American media would blow that up and it can fire back at us.

A government official of Aruba would actually contemplate not allowing Beth Twitty back to Aruba for the only reason of the fear of what the media would do? You have got to be kidding me? Ever hear of free speech Rudy, or does not that exit in Aruba? I really have to admit that this is not even a matter of taking the Holloway/Twitty side or Aruba’s as many have drawn battle lines. It is more a matter of trying to figure out what type of system really exists in Aruba. With comments like these out of a ruling parties official I actually feel sorry for the actual lack of human rights that really must exist for every day Arubans when “all our back are turned.” It is a sad commentary and all better take a look at the words that were said. The only reason why the Aruban government does not take action is because of the media retaliation and thus the affect of Aruban tourism. For all those people that have complained of the over-media exposure that the Holloway and Twitty’s have received I guess maybe you can understand now why it was done? Rudy Croes has literally said that without the media coverage they would have treated Beth Twitty completely differently. Minister Croes seems to be forgetting that little fact that Beth Twitty has lost her daughter Natalee Holloway on Aruba.

She is back in all sorts of programs where she calls upon Americans to avoid Aruba as vacation destination. “I can’t understand her attitude. We did everything possible to find her daughter”, said Croes. He hopes of course that one day the teenager will show up, but he said that badmouthing would definitely not contribute to that.

He can’t understand her attitude. People may agree or disagree with Beth Twitty’s reaction to how she is handling the disappearance of Natalee, but I hardly think anyone can say they can’t understand her attitude. Newsflash … her daughter has vanished into thin air while vacationing on your island Justice Minister Croes. 10 days went by before your justice system ever arrested the last people ever to be seen with Natalee. They have reportedly lied during interrogations and Joran has admitted they all three conspired to lie to investigators in the beginning. Searches of the three suspects homes were delayed as 2 security guards were originally arrested. All three suspects last seen with Natalee are free walking the streets of Aruba and seemingly contradicting their stories in interviews. The frustration level alone of no answers and no sign of her daughter right or wrong is enough to make anyone act like this. The lack of perceived cooperation and communication even referenced by Dave Holloway the other night is enough to cause complete frustration. Do you really wonder why or how Beth Twitty could not have this attitude? Really? Your own Prime Minister, the leader of your party has stated mistakes were made. Some how you can’t understand a mother’s frustration that her daughter has vanished. What is even more amazing about Minister Croes’ comments is they seemingly care more about the affects of tourism rather than the where abouts of missing teen, Natalee Holloway. Every time one turns around there is a reference to tourism. Here lies the rub. As much as it is a concern to Minister Croes and Aruba, tourism is not the concern of Beth Twitty. Getting her daughter back is.

Many Aruban people are very angry with Twitty and are afraid that her constant appeals against Aruba would have a negative effect on the tourism. Even though this does not reflect in the figures, the government does keep a finger on the pulse. Croes does not consider taking measures against Twitty yet, but does not rule out the possibility to shut her up in the future. The Dutch government was asked to diplomatically support Aruba in this matter.

If anyone ever wondered why Beth Twitty has taken the approach that she has they only have to look at the following comment to understand. She took this approach as a reaction to what she had dealt with in Aruba. There had been rumblings as to Aruba potenentially not allowing Joe Mammana in Aruba becasue of his past, now it would appear if not for media exposure “free speech” gets you the same.

Croes does not consider taking measures against Twitty yet, but does not rule out the possibility to shut her up in the future.

SHUT HER UP IN THE FUTURE? This is a government position to an American mother whose daughter was on vacation in Aruba (of which Americans make up 70% of the Aruban tourism) and vanished without a trace? I had wondered in the past about the comments against Aruba about the purposeful letting out the suspects while Americans backs were turned and focused on hurricanes in the Gulf Coast, Labor Day festivities and the death of a Chief Supreme Court Justice. I had wondered whether it was true about the increased fees for satellite feeds. I questioned whether the comment made to Beth about when was she leaving for good may have been slightlly taken out of contest. With an attitude of “shutting someone up” it really makes me wonder. So in other words, the message from Rudy Croes is, unless you play by our rules we not only won’t do anything, we will shut you up?

 These comments transcend a missing girl and bring into question how things could actually be manipulated to bring a means to an end. Are there really that few liberties? This is a free speech issue. I wonder as some sources have relayed to us whether other forms of communication that may be considered “persona non grata”. One wonders when maybe they will attempt to “Shut Scared Monkeys up in the future”? This is a free speech issue, the main stream media can feel more than welcome to join the fray at any time. It is chilling to know that if not for the fear of what the media would do to Aruba, Beth Twitty would have been treated differently.

USA Today Portrays Aruba in Their Travel Section

Teens in tight jeans and skimpy tops slurp free ladies’-night drinks in foot-long orange plastic glasses and gyrate on the dance floor of Carlos ‘n Charlie’s to a U.S. rap hit whose chorus taunts “it’s getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes.” USA Today, September 29th, 2005

And so begins a travel article on Aruba in USA Today. The juxtaposition of the horror we have covered with Natalee Holloway’s disappearance and the need for a vibrant tourism trade has been a constant source of friction on this site.

The Aruban’s rightfully point out that statistically their island is a safer place than most, that they present a safe and fun alternative for a family vacation. They also state that one instance does not a reputation make.

Many others argue the converse side, that Aruba was not responsive to the disappearance of Natalee. That the government and the Dutch legal system systematically covered up the crime and did not work hard for justice. That going to Aruba is a nice idea, but if something goes wrong on your trip, do not count on the legal system to protect you.

Fortunately, and unfortunately, there is truth to both sides. Reading Scared Monkeys is a frustrating experience for the Aruban people. They know that a bad thing happened on the island. They personally want it solved, but they also do not want their livelihood and reputation as a people ruined. I do not blame them. The classic adage, a reputation can take years to build and a moment to destroy, is very true.

The situation is made worse when most of the horror of Natalee Holloway’s disappearance was done by non Arubans. Non locals committing acts that is tearing at the social fabric of the island. This is the huge source of discomfort for the Aruban people. So no matter that the Aruban’s cry that they are a loving people and had nothing to do with this, they are still in the line of fire.

To preserve the reputation as a tourism mecca, Aruba has embarked on a new advertising campaign.

Because of incessant media coverage of Holloway’s disappearance, “now everybody knows Aruba” — and not necessarily in a good way, says Myrna Jansen, managing director of the Aruba Tourism Authority. “Our main priority now is, ‘Let’s get this (Holloway case) solved and resolved.’ It’s not nice for anyone involved.”

There wasn’t a wave of summer cancellations after Holloway’s disappearance, say Jansen and Caribbean-vacation vendors such as Connecticut-based TourScan. In fact, the number of June visitors from the USA increased 10% this year, and July and August hotel occupancy was up over last year, too.

Island tourism officials have resumed ad campaigns suspended during the time the Holloway case was making daily headlines. Jansen hopes bad publicity won’t keep some from choosing the island for fall and winter getaways. (Alabama’s House of Representatives even passed a resolution urging Alabamans to stay away.) But she says fall bookings are running ahead of last year’s.

Will it work, we do not know. However, for many on both sides of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, the bitterness of what has happened will linger on. Odds are if the status quo is maintained, tourism will be hurt. If the numbers are the same, the rates may be lower. If the rates remain the same, the numbers may be lower. In the end, tourism dollars will decrease.

If the call for a boycott occurs, then we are looking at a even tougher hit to tourism.

One way or the other, we all hope that there is a honest and forthright resolution to the matter, both Aruban’s and Americans. Otherwise, this will be a sore that will linger on for a long time to come.

Ben Fawley; Items Seized in the Taylor Behl Investigation

The Washington Times is reporting the items the police seized from the residence of Ben Fawley, the 38 year old photographer, the so-called former “person of interest” in the disappearance of Taylor Behl.

Items seized in a search of the apartment belonging to a man under investigation in the disappearance of Virginia Commonwealth University freshman Taylor Marie Behl include fabric from a mattress that might be stained with blood, a cell phone that might belong to Taylor, women’s clothes and a .32-caliber gun cartridge, court documents released yesterday show.

Police refused to comment on the seized items, citing the ongoing investigation.

Richmond Police spokeswoman Kirsten Nelson went on to elaborate on the about the designation of Ben Fawley as a former “person of interest.”

“We are not calling him a person of interest because he is not a suspect, but we are still looking at him very seriously.”

Other items that were seized by police in the Sept. 23 search of Ben Fawley’s residence include:

videotapes, bags of clothes, a hatchet, a hammer and three pairs of underwear from an outdoor garbage can; a beaded necklace with a cross and a watch from an outdoor supercan; a black brassiere, white panties, tissues and tampon wrappers, several VCU student IDs — which might include one belonging to Taylor, copies of student IDs, a box of bones and five skateboards from inside Mr. Fawley’s apartment.

Also seized were several fitted bedsheets, a futon cover, a bra and hat and a vacuum cleaner bag.

(The rest of the post)

National Enquirer: Joran Van der Sloot: He said Natalee then asked him, “Do you want to go home with me”?

The National Enquirer article does seem to contradict the account that Joran Van der Sloot gave to “A Current Affair”. The information from the Enquirer comes from 28 year old Kristina Pedersen, who got to know him on the Arnhem Business School campus.

Over several days, he drank heavily, encouraged Kristina to watch hard core porn and tried to force himself on her. And it quickly became apparent that even now Joran cannot keep his story straight — his account was peppered with the lies that have marked his From Page 34 part in the investigation since Natalee disappeared on May 30.

Kristina said: “One day we shared a jug of beer. Joran looked me in the eye and said, ‘Here’s to finding Natalee’. “Half an hour later he was trying to kiss me and lure me to a deserted area of a park. Then he suddenly asked me, ‘Do you want me to bite you?’”

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