Aruba Has Negative Image in the Netherlands as well

Just when Aruba thought it only had a negative image in America, now we learn that the Netherlands opinion of Aruba is negative as well. Although the image may be for different reasons, its negative none the less. Aruba’s answer to the problem is that they “must give the Dutch community the correct information”. Aruba, talk is cheap and actions speak louder than any spin.

The parliamentary delegation talked about the image of Aruba in the Netherlands during their visit to the State Council in the Netherlands. The Council says that it becomes more and more negative

The prevailing opinion is that Aruba citizens in the Netherlands cause problems and that Aruba is costing the community a lot of money.

State Council: Aruba’s image negative (Amigoe: June 14, 2008)

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Aruba: Crime Increased 11.3% Last Year … Youth Crime a Major Concern

What ever happened to Aruba … “One safe island” where no crime ever took place? It would appear that myth has now been put to rest. Aruba may want to revise the following articles regarding the crime rate to unsuspecting tourists. Of course there are other crimes that occur in Aruba that are not referred to in much of any manner. However, the increase in youth crimes make it completely believable that the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway could have been entirely planned and perpetrated by youths.

Since crime in Aruba is relatively low, you can travel with peace of mind

On rare occasions, armed robbery and car theft have occurred. Vehicle leases or rental contracts may not be fully covered by local insurance when a vehicle is stolen or damaged, so make sure you are sufficiently covered when renting cars and jet skis.

The crime discussed by the ALE is referring to youth and gang violence, not petty pick pocketing. Rare? You be the judge. Since 2005 to 2007 there has been an average criminality increase per day of 2.10 crimes. Rare?

According to reports from the ALE, criminality has increased with 11.3 percent last year. Home robberies and youth crime have been targeted as the reason for the increase. Crime is on the increase in Aruba and there appears to be a disturbing trend with youth and crime. Have the youth in Aruba become out of control and feel a sense of invisibility?

Points of concern are the development of the youth criminality and “the growing ease with which firearms are being used”, said chief of police Peter de Witte looking back on last year.

The youth criminality has been raised to priority one this year. “Youth criminality, definitely after the serious incidents of last year, is heavily qualified for the subjective safety feeling.

Thus, the number of crimes has increased last year. The number of crimes committed in 2005 was 5511; in 2006, 5643; and in 2007, 6277

Looking back to 2005 and the Natalee Holloway missing persons case when Aruba became a household name to many for all the wrong reasons, we see that three suspects were named at the time. Was the Natalee Holloway case and her presumed death just one in the many of a trend of youth violence taking place in Aruba? Many people had thought at the time how could 3 young suspects, Joran Van der Sloot, Deepak Kalpoe and Satish Kalpoe, pull such a crime off? With the ever increasing crime rate and Aruba and the ever increasing crime rate among youths, is it really that unbelievable now?

Criminality increased with 11 percent (Amigoe: June 13, 2008)

Looking back on 2007, chief of police Peter de Witte is of the opinion that the shooting incident near Arubus in December of last year, whereby a 19-year old boy shot a police officer and was self shot and killed, is an example of the hardening in the society and especially with the youth.

ORANJESTAD – From the tentative figures of the Police Corps of Aruba it appears that criminality has increased with 11.3 percent last year. This has to do with mainly the sharp rise of the number of robberies, especially in homes. The police are highly satisfied with the approach of the local drug dealings and the use of narcotics; more than 200 kilo cocaine was confiscated last year, double the amount of 2006.

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Aruba’s Standard of Living is Going Down … Aruba Hit Harder than Many Countries Because Nothing is Produced There

Aruba is suffering the same economic slow down that is affecting many countries these days. Their standard of living is decreasing. However, in Aruba its worse due to the fact that nothing is actually produced in Aruba. Since Aruba is limited to the manner in how to deal with price shifting, Aruba may have to increase its hotel rates. If they make these increases, Aruba may not be able to compete with other islands in the region. Talk about a catch 22.

Mehran concluded that just like the rest of the world, our country is coping with ‘a fundamental shifting’ in the prices of oil, food, and metals.  He compares the current situation with the oil crisis in 1973.  He says that the price shifting is fundamental, because the prices will never go back to the old level.  This hits Aruba harder, because nothing is being produced here.  To maintain the same quality of life and pay for it, Aruba will have to increasing the rates of the hotel rooms; that’s the only way.  But this is at the same time a risk, because the island must also be able to continue competing in the region.  

Standard of living is going down (Amigoe: 6/1/2008)

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Missing in Aruba: 12-year old Morellia Larmonie Missing Since 5/21/2008 … (Update: Found Safe)

There appears to be another missing girl in Aruba. This time its 12 year old Aruban girl, Morellia Larmonie, who has been missing since Wednesday, May 21, 2008. The Aruban police are treating the disappearance as a runaway minor. (Dutch version)

What is rather disturbing and seems to be a common thread when hearing of missing cases in Aruba, the police do not seem to make any real effort to find the missing people. The lack of seriousness, especially at the outset of missing person cases, is troubling.  It is an issue that we are hearing from the parents of 12 year old Morellia Larmonie feel the need to say that “very little effort is made to actively locate the girl.”

12 year old Morellia Larmonie, Diario

Morellia got on the bus in Pos Chiquito last Wednesday afternoon, but never got off the bus in Rooi Hundu where she lives.

They say that the police treat the case as a ‘runaway minor’ and very little effort is made to actively locate the girl.  The father doesn’t say whether there is reason for the girl to run away from Home.  “She lives with her mother, so I do not know all the details.  But I can’t imagine that Morellia prefers to stay in hiding and do not want to call home.  I really can’t imagine that.”

UPDATE I: This is news we like to hear. According to a report that we received from Jossy Mansur, Managing editor of Diario, the 12 year old girl has been found safe by her father yesterday.

Girl missing for almost one week (Amigoe: 5/29/2008)

ORANJESTAD – The parents of the 12-year old Morellia Larmonie that vanished without a trace last week Wednesday, are desperately looking for witnesses that may know where the girl can be.  Morellia got on the bus in Pos Chiquito last Wednesday afternoon, but never got off the bus in Rooi Hundu where she lives.

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Aruba, Natalee Holloway Investigation: Another Law Enforcement & Prosecutorial Screw Up, Is Anything Done Right in this Case?

Key Stone Cops now influence Rotterdam-Rijmond police.

Forget the so-called demands that Patrick Van der Eem made, the communication was botched up from the outset. Now Aruban and Dutch officials are just in CYA mode. So after they made the admitted screw up, they are now saying it was not possible. How convenient.

The question needs to be asked, did the case of missing Natalee Holloway ever have a chance to be properly investigated or solved? The initial stages of the Natalee Holloway missing persons investigation are well documented for their mistakes. The lack of any competent investigation or seriousness of the situation. Now after all this time we are presented with even more “Key Stone Cop” occurrences in this case. This time by the Dutch police.

The efforts of Patrick van der Eem fell on deaf ears when he went to Dutch police to become an under cover agent, “civil infiltrator.” Why? Because the conversation between Van der Eem and the Rotterdam-Rijmond police were never forwarded to any one. Not the ALE or even the Dutch prosecutors.

The minister indicated though that, as a result of the decision of the regional police Gelderland-Midden to pass the information from the conversation with Van der Eem to the corps of Rotterdam-Rijmond only and not to the Aruban authorities, ‘all special cases’ will from now on be brought up in the regular deliberation of the Public Prosecutor with the chief of police.  

The Dutch Public Prosecutor was also not informed of the conversation.  The minister realized in February that this was an assessment mistake.

Really? Not sharing information is a mistake? What was your first clue? The incompetence and obstacles that have been presented in the case of missing Natalee Holloway go beyond all reasonable bounds of normalcy. How many times can law enforcement and prosecutors continually screw up before it becomes obvious that it is not incompetence, but instead a consistent pattern of behavior of cover up and the want to just make a problem go away?

Infiltration was not possible due to demands of Van der Eem (Amigoe: 5/19/2008)

ORANJESTAD – The efforts of a civil infiltrator as well as an undercover agent was legally not possible due to ‘the conditions’ that Patrick van der Eem has set late last year for his cooperation, says the Dutch minister of Justice Ernst Hirsch Ballin as a result of questions of the Standing Parliament Committee Justice about the Dutch interference in the Holloway-case.

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