Natalee Holloway: REMEMBER WHEN? … IT STILL IS … Let The Spin Begin With the Aruban Boycott

Remember when this used to be about a missing teenager named Natalee Holloway? An Alabama teenager that went to Aruba following her senior graduation with her Mountain Brook friends. A girl that on her last night in Aruba went missing and was last seen with Joran Van der Sloot, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. The same three that would later lie as to what had actually happened that night in dropping Natalee Holloway off at the Holiday Inn. The same three that would not be arrested and only called “witnesses” for ten days. In Joran Van der Sloot’s case never having the entire property searched by investigators even though his father Paulus was actually considered a suspect also.

Since then search teams have gone to Aruba on numerous occasions only to either come up empty or obstructed by Aruban officials. Witnesses that come forward only to have their stories go away with no explanation as to what happened. A family that spent the first 3 or 4 months on Aruba only to be told they had to come back recently to provide new statements. Dave Holloway coming t Aruba and searching in a landfill with his father in law trying to find his daughter only to both wind up sick from the experience. Then Dave coming back only to have the ALE push his patience over the brink.

REMEMBER WHEN THIS WAS ABOUT NATALEE HOLLOWAY?

Enter the spin over an Aruban boycott. This was not a boycott meant to hurt Aruba as Dave Holloway had said to me during a telephone conversation. It was meant to make those in charge of the investigation and prosecution take notice and handle his daughter’s case properly. What else were they supposed to do as the lines of communication became worse, even with Dave Holloway.

It is sad to see that there almost seems to be more energy given to spinning the boycott and talks of preventing one by Aruban authorities than there was in actually investigating and questioning those involved on the Natalee Holloway disappearance. Prime Minister Oduber, this is not a boycott against the rest of the Caribbean islands or even meant to hurt Arubans, as this is not a US Government backed sanctioned boycott against Aruba. It is a plea of a family to cooperate and help them find their daughter as you had previously promised. Don’t ever lose track that a boycott can be called by anyone, including those in the media. Everyone has been watching the events in Aruba transpire over the last 5 months, please do not tell people that all has been done by Aruba. A simple phone call from the prosecutor to a grieving mother to notify her of an investigation is not that much to ask. Investigators being honest and straight forward with Dave Holloway, who had all the patience in the world, is also not asking too much.

Once this used to be about Natalee Holloway and it still should be. An investigation should never be hampered by talks of a boycott. It should be about helping a family find closure and finding Natalee Holloway. PM, if you wanted your island to be looked upon in a good light, everything humanly possible including contact with a family all the time should have been a simple task. How many missing person or potential homicides exist on Aruba? We are told by Aruba nearly none. So what was the priority of a prosecutors office not to be in constant contact?

Aruba, remember when this was about finding Natalee Holloway? It still is.

Diario, November 9, 2005; Aruba sperando awe riba declaracion di State Department

Aruba awaiting declaration from State Department today

Aruba sent a message to the State Department about what took place on Tuesday, and expects to know on Wednesday morning for the State Department to issue a declaration about all the latest happenings. The latter deals with a series of actions Aruba took on Tuesday.

(full translation)

Diario, November 9, 2005; BETH TWITTY HUNTO CU GOBERNADOR DI ALABAMA, TA PIDI UN BOYCOT RIBA ARUBA, e gobernador a pidi e otro estadonan na Merca pa uni cune

Beth Twitty along with the Governor of Alabama
Request for a boycott against ArubaGovernor asks for other states of America to join him

In Aruba, this is seen as something abnormal. The Prime Minister showed that America in general has a boycott against Iraq, Cuba and North Korea. But now for a Governor to decide for a whole country to start something similar with Aruba, because of a missing woman?

(full translation)

Just because of a missing woman? Doesn’t that statement say a lot? Wonder if that was the same attitude that was taken during the investigation and its exactly those types of words that make people wonder.

More spin from Aruba …
A.M. Digital: No support for Alabama Governor Bob Riley

Aruba Prime Minister Oduber is very concerned for the effects of a possible boycott. Aruba is highly dependent on the tourism industry for its revenues. “Aruba is not Cuba, or North Korea, or Iraq. We are allies of the United States and we work together with the United States to fight drug trafficking and money laundering” said Oduber.

The tourism statistics after May, the month in which the student disappeared, show no decline in the number of American tourists. According to Managing Director of the Aruba Tourism Authority, Myrna Jansen, Americans say to be less declined to travel to Aruba but apparently they act otherwise.

(Full article)