If Aruba Does not Care to Help & Protect Their Own … Why would they Care about Tourists?

The RED party is highly suspect as to whether Aruba can protect its own people against the pollution caused by Valero. They are questioning why there seems to be a greater number of cancer cases in the San Nicolas area than other areas of Aruba. What aspect of this issue has to do with the Aruban government just not caring for its people, or is it that they care less for the people of San Nicolas?

Much like they cared to blame two black security guards from San Nicolas for a crime they obviously did not commit. What are the people of San Nicolas possibly being exposed to and the tourists as well. Many a tourist go the the “Baby Beach” area in close proximity to San Nicolas and Valero. What could they be exposed to?

ORANJESTAD – Aruba is not capable to protect her own people against pollution by a multinational, concluded RED as a result of the answers of minister Booshi Wever (MEP) of Public health, Environment, and Immigration Affairs on their question about the pollution of Valero and the consequences for the public health. 

In August of last year RED had asked the minister about the number of cancer cases in San Nicolas.  Is the number of cancer cases in San Nicolas more than in the rest of Aruba?  Does the oil refinery emit polluted chemicals and are these carcinogenic?

The RED party has asked minister Booshi Wever (MEP) of Public health, Environment, and Immigration Affairs a number of questions. All responses seem to be, I don’t know.

• The minister answered that he has no information on how many cases of cancer there is per district.
• But the minister says that the inquiry was not set up to check for inter-regional differences.  In order to answer Red’s questions, a specific inquiry has to be conducted 
• The minister does not have an answer on the emission questions either.  

How indicative is this of everything that seems to take place on Aruba? No questions to serious issue and they are passed off as a nonexistent problem. Whether they be security, safety or health issues. All problems seem to be “no problem mon”. It appears that some in the government with to take some action; however, like all issues they are passed off under the guise of hoping the problem will just be forgotten and go away. Sound familiar? Do they care about anything? This is a country with a functioning government, right?

However, RED gives short shrift to Wever’s answers. “The answers are proof of the government’s mental deficiency with regard to Valero. “The government does not investigate the possible pollution of the refinery.  The only thing the minister said is that when the wind turns and the smoke blows over San Nicolas, the school children get the day off.  It is too sad for words that the government is dealing with the health of the people in this manner.”

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Aruban Tourism … Different Month … Same Results … Tourism Down Again for 2006 … When will it End?

Try as they might, Aruba has spent millions on tourism marketing, lowered rates, and provided other incentives to have tourists come to Aruba. All to no avail, its just not working. The Central Bank of Aruba is reporting that tourism is at best stagnant and at worst, still in decline for October and November, 2006.

Aruba’s efforts are not working because they are attempting to put a Band-Aid on a broken leg. They refuse to deal with the underlying issue. Until they do, Aruba can expect for increases of 0.9 and decreases of 5 to 6% per month. Aruba may never learn; however, eventually they are going to have to do something.

Watch the Video of Aruban Tourism.

The number of sojourns and their number of nights spent dropped with respectively 7.7 and 5.7 percent in the first 10 months of 2006, while the numbers for September of that same year increased with respectively 0.9 and 0.1 percent, and dropped in October with respectively 3.1 and 4.4 percent.

Compare the tourism rates over the past 2 years since Natalee Holloway has gone missing and Aruba officials took part in a concerted effort to obstruct an investigation. See if an increase of 0.9% means anything after the losses that have already been experienced.

(Vanderbilt – ‘06)

September 2004 (Pre-Natalee Holloway): The number of stay-over visitors and their nights spent on the island went up, respectively, by 15.7 percent and 12.7 percent during the month of September 2004 compared to September 2003. Stay-over visitors from the United States and Venezuela rose by 18.8 percent and 14.5 percent, respectively. In contrast, the Dutch market fell by 3.3 percent. The average hotel occupancy rate registered a 6.5 percentage points increase to 73 percent. On a year-to-date basis, stay-over visitors surged by 14.6 percent against a 2.3 percent decline a year earlier, while visitor nights increased by 11.4 percent compared to a 3.9 percent increase in the corresponding period in 2003.

Sept 2005: The Aruba Tourism Authority has not yet published information on stay-over visitors and their nights spent for July, August, and September 2005. Data on the average occupancy rate of the hotels for September 2005 show a decrease of 6.2 percentage points to 69.3 percent, compared to the corresponding period a year earlier. In September 2005, cruise passenger arrivals fell by 35.4 percent, despite a 16.7 percent increase in the number of ship calls.

October 2005: The Aruba Tourism Authority has not yet published information on stay-over visitors and their nights spent on the island for July, August, September and October 2005. Data on the average occupancy rate of the hotels for October 2005 show a decrease of 4.9 percentage points to 77.8 percent, compared to the corresponding period a year earlier. In October 2005, the number of cruise passenger arrivals and ship calls both fell sharply by 38.9 percent.

Another interesting development is the decrease in cruise line passengers to Aruba. Although there have been more ships docked in Aruba, the end result is a decline in cruise passengers to Aruba.

Data on the occupancy rate for November 2006 has also not yet been published. In the month under review, the number of cruise passenger arrivals decreased by 1.8 percent, despite a 28.6 percent increase in the number of ship calls.

A drop in cruise line passengers and it doesn’t even count the loss of the ones from the Carnival Cruise ship Destiny that docked for the last time in Aruba in December 2006.

“Cruise passengers on ships of the caliber of Carnival Destiny spend an average of one-hundred dollars when they are in Aruba.  This cruise ship accommodates an average of 2000 passengers, which means a source of income of about 200.000 dollars per week years after years.”

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Binge Drinking and Sniffing … A Major Concern on Aruba so says The Red Cross … Could It Have Played a part?

The Red Cross is concerned with sniffing and binge drinking in Aruba. This is a rather interesting comment coming from the Red Cross in Aruba. One wonders what would possess individuals to binge drink or inhale petrol, glue or paint thinner products. A rather peculiar comment was made by the Red Cross in the below Amigoe article that makes many ponder possible scenarios to why Natalee Holloway went missing.

There were in additions several accidents due to alcohol abuse and sniffing of substances, like alcohol mixed with petrol, especially amongst teenagers, said Greg Peterson, chairman of the Red Cross in Aruba.

This abuse causes aggressiveness and the Red Cross is not happy with this.

We know that the three suspects were drinking at Carlos N’ Charlies. We also know that Carlos N’ Charlies is infamous for getting its patrons drunk, like HERE, HERE and HERE. We also know that Joran Van der Sloot admitted that he bought Natalee Holloway 151 rum. Many had questioned that 151 was a rather strange choice of drink to order a girl. Is it though if there is a culture in Aruba among some teenagers who binge drink and abuse alcohol, especially those that would frequent C&C one to three times a week.

There we bought a “Yard Whiskey Coke”. Such a drink costs U.S. $ 12,-. It is a plastic cup and it comes in different colors. I payed for all three drinks. I got a red cup but I do not remember now what color cups Deepak and Satish got.

When Natalee got onto the bar I thought that she was drunk. I could clearly tell that Natalee had been drinking. I could smell this from the smell that came out of Natalee’s mouth. I also have to say that when I saw Natalee dancing I also noticed that she had been drinking.

 After that Natalee and me walked to another bar that was still open at that time. I asked the bartender two shots of Bacardi 151. I still had the whiskey coke in my hand. Natalee asked me if she should drink the Bacardi 151 in one go. I answered her affirmatively and she answered me that she would do it in two. Natalee said to me that she needed a “chaser” in order to drink the Bacardi. Natalee drank my whiskey coke as a “chaser” and then she drank the Bacardi 151 in two goes. I payed for the two shots of Bacardi 151. (Joran Van der Sloot, PROCES-VERBAAL – JORAN 6/9/2005)

One can only imagine what could happen if “sniffing” occurred by those suspected of Natalee’s disappearance that night as the mixture causes aggressiveness. Things to ponder. Now factor in the use of roofies … truly something to think about.

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Today’s Oxymoron … Police Integrity Report in Aruba

One wonders just how long this investigation was going to be kept under-wraps in Aruba? An investigation into the investigators. Aruban officials even managed to squelch this report as well. Just par for the course on “One Happy Island”.   

The report was already given to the then chief of police Ronny Bernadina on April 3rd of this year.  The investigation took place in 2005 and based on the findings, Forensic Services Caribbean advices to draw up a master plan to deal with the integrity risks.

Read the full article at Amigoe, December 23, 2006: A master plan is needed for better police integrity  

ORANJESTAD – An investigation report on the efficiency of the Police Corps of Aruba (KPA) regarding integrity, states that the control on work procedure is poorly; promotional transfers take place, while there is a disciplinary investigation going; and there is no correct follow up after irregularities within the corps are signaled. 

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Prime Minister Nelson Oduber’s Wife Glenda Oduber called as witness in Minister Ramon Lee Assault case

They just don’t get it. 18 months after the disappearance of Natalee Holloway and an image and perception by travelers that Aruba takes an apathetic approach to crime, they are doing it again. This time to one of their own. It is hard to imagine that these are the words of a leader. One would think they would want to get to the bottom of an alleged crime, not whine and make excuses. Then again … that is the MO.

Glenda Oduber, the wife of Prime Minister Nelson Oduber was called as a witness in the alleged sexual assault matter against Minister Ramon Lee. The Prime Minister’s wife was asked to testify as the victim claims she telephoned her about what had occurred. What is more disturbing are the comments coming from the Prime Minister. Oduber, are you telling us that there are 100’s of people alleging sexual assaults against your ministers every day? Really? Are you saying so many calls come in alleging assault? You mean you cannot determine the difference between an assault and a nuisance call? Also, the Prime Minister has just admitted they cannot or is it (will not) check everything whether they are true or not.  Isn’t that par for the course?

“Hundreds of people call here every day with all sorts of stories.  We cannot check everything whether they are true or not.  That would mean that we are in court every day or called to witness”, was the premier’s comment on the witness call. 

Because heaven forbid the stories be checked out to make sure the Aruban people are safe. I guess they randomly pick and chose what they deem politically expedient.

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