She Went to Aruba- Will You?
"She" is, of course, Natalee Holloway, the Alabama honors high-school graduate who went to Aruba in May 2005 on a class trip. On the last night of the trip, she and other students went to Carlos 'n' Charlies, a bar where Aruban police say drugging of drinks is known to occur. She left with three Aruban residents. One, Joran van der Sloot, had spent days with her tour group, falsely saying he was a visiting Dutch tourist. (A hotel manager later identified him as a known predator who targeted American tourist girls.) He and his companions, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, drove Natalee away, alone.
Natalee's disappearance, and her family's quest for the truth, have drawn media coverage and
worldwide interest ever since. The case was revived in January, when a series of 'sting' videotapes by a Dutch TV crime reporter showed Joran confiding that he was with Natalee when she suddenly passed out on the beach. He said he panicked and, without knowing if she were still alive, called "Daury," a "friend" who dumped her body at sea.
Joran said he wasn't bothered by what happened.
"I was even able to sleep that night. I just went home and went to bed." He later said his story was a lie given under the influence of marijuana. On February 15, 2008, an appeals court of three judges upheld an earlier ruling that the tapes did not provide enough new evidence to re-arrest him, even though this was the first time that he acknowledged knowing about Natalee's fate.
Joran and the Kalpoes have given well over 20 versions of what happened. Their first story --
they dropped Natalee off at her hotel and saw two security guards take her away -- was disproven by Beth Holloway. The guards, who were never associated with Natalee in any way, were swiftly arrested on no evidence except this lie from the three people last seen in Natalee's company. The three were not arrested until 11 days after Natalee vanished. Aruba police had a warrant to search the entire van der Sloot property, but Dutch judge Bob Wit met them and limited the search to Joran's apartment. On June 10, 2005, Aruba officially announced that Natalee was dead and that one suspecthad confessed ... only to withdraw the announcement
and cite "a disinformation campaign."
Why should Americans avoid Aruba?
Paulus van der Sloot, Joran's father, a lawyer who aspired to be a judge, is believed to have used his contacts in Aruba's government and law enforcement to destroy evidence and obstruct the investigation. In her book, Beth Holloway Twitty quoted a former head of Aruba tourism as outright admitting that there was a cover-up. More evidence supports this argument than
we can put here. After nearly three years, there are no answers. Will you visit a country that winks at the disappearance of American tourists, even though our tourism provides 80% of its income? Do you want to prop up this banana republic with your money?
How can I learn more about this case?
The Natalee Holloway mystery may be the most intensively covered missing-person case in history, and is abundantly documented. Even a basic timeline would require not a handout, but a volume. People interested in doing more research into the case, reviewing the timeline, or just following the news and comments on it are invited to visit these Web sites. There are many more, but these are some of the key ones and offer links to others:
www.scaredmonkeys.com
www.arubanboycott.blogspot.com
www.arubassilence@bravehost.com
www.therealarubatruth.blogspot.com
The two books by Natalee's parents are Dave Holloway's "Aruba: the Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise," and Beth Holloway's "Loving Natalee." These are
indispensable reading. Also see the blog of Dutch crime reporter Peter deVries:
http://www.peterrdevries.com/
Texas Equusearch, a volunteer search and rescue group, has been searching the waters off Aruba for Natalee's body since mid-November 2007. The search relies on volunteer help and is financed by private donations. Aruba and the Netherlands provide no funds for this search, which costs an estimated $50,000 a day.
Read about it on http://www.nholloway.blogspot.com/
What can I do to help this victimized family?
Nelson Oduber, prime minister of Aruba, recently admitted on Dutch TV that his country has lost tens of millions of dollars in tourist revenue owing to the boycott (Aruba previously denied any impact). The boycott is working, but Natalee's family still deserves the truth!
We are volunteers who want justice, and who believe the boycott is our best leverage on Aruba.
(We also think Natalee's case has revealed that Aruba is not a fit destination.)
Please consider these measures:
*Boycott Aruba. Heed our motto: "No justice for Natalee, no tourists for Aruba."
*Tell your views to:
Aruba Tourism Authority,
100 Plaza Dr., Secaucus, NJ 07094
*Embassy of the Netherlands, 4200 Linnean
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008
*Ask your legislators why our government will not speak out against Aruba, three years later.
*Join our e-mailing list at JusticeforNatalee@gmail.com to learn of future events.
If "we the people" do not demand justice, nobody will. Join our boycott of Aruba.
Natalee's disappearance, and her family's quest for the truth, have drawn media coverage and
worldwide interest ever since. The case was revived in January, when a series of 'sting' videotapes by a Dutch TV crime reporter showed Joran confiding that he was with Natalee when she suddenly passed out on the beach. He said he panicked and, without knowing if she were still alive, called "Daury," a "friend" who dumped her body at sea.
Joran said he wasn't bothered by what happened.
"I was even able to sleep that night. I just went home and went to bed." He later said his story was a lie given under the influence of marijuana. On February 15, 2008, an appeals court of three judges upheld an earlier ruling that the tapes did not provide enough new evidence to re-arrest him, even though this was the first time that he acknowledged knowing about Natalee's fate.
Joran and the Kalpoes have given well over 20 versions of what happened. Their first story --
they dropped Natalee off at her hotel and saw two security guards take her away -- was disproven by Beth Holloway. The guards, who were never associated with Natalee in any way, were swiftly arrested on no evidence except this lie from the three people last seen in Natalee's company. The three were not arrested until 11 days after Natalee vanished. Aruba police had a warrant to search the entire van der Sloot property, but Dutch judge Bob Wit met them and limited the search to Joran's apartment. On June 10, 2005, Aruba officially announced that Natalee was dead and that one suspecthad confessed ... only to withdraw the announcement
and cite "a disinformation campaign."
Why should Americans avoid Aruba?
Paulus van der Sloot, Joran's father, a lawyer who aspired to be a judge, is believed to have used his contacts in Aruba's government and law enforcement to destroy evidence and obstruct the investigation. In her book, Beth Holloway Twitty quoted a former head of Aruba tourism as outright admitting that there was a cover-up. More evidence supports this argument than
we can put here. After nearly three years, there are no answers. Will you visit a country that winks at the disappearance of American tourists, even though our tourism provides 80% of its income? Do you want to prop up this banana republic with your money?
How can I learn more about this case?
The Natalee Holloway mystery may be the most intensively covered missing-person case in history, and is abundantly documented. Even a basic timeline would require not a handout, but a volume. People interested in doing more research into the case, reviewing the timeline, or just following the news and comments on it are invited to visit these Web sites. There are many more, but these are some of the key ones and offer links to others:
www.scaredmonkeys.com
www.arubanboycott.blogspot.com
www.arubassilence@bravehost.com
www.therealarubatruth.blogspot
The two books by Natalee's parents are Dave Holloway's "Aruba: the Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise," and Beth Holloway's "Loving Natalee." These are
indispensable reading. Also see the blog of Dutch crime reporter Peter deVries:
http://www.peterrdevries.com/
Texas Equusearch, a volunteer search and rescue group, has been searching the waters off Aruba for Natalee's body since mid-November 2007. The search relies on volunteer help and is financed by private donations. Aruba and the Netherlands provide no funds for this search, which costs an estimated $50,000 a day.
Read about it on http://www.nholloway.blogspot
What can I do to help this victimized family?
Nelson Oduber, prime minister of Aruba, recently admitted on Dutch TV that his country has lost tens of millions of dollars in tourist revenue owing to the boycott (Aruba previously denied any impact). The boycott is working, but Natalee's family still deserves the truth!
We are volunteers who want justice, and who believe the boycott is our best leverage on Aruba.
(We also think Natalee's case has revealed that Aruba is not a fit destination.)
Please consider these measures:
*Boycott Aruba. Heed our motto: "No justice for Natalee, no tourists for Aruba."
*Tell your views to:
Aruba Tourism Authority,
100 Plaza Dr., Secaucus, NJ 07094
*Embassy of the Netherlands, 4200 Linnean
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008
*Ask your legislators why our government will not speak out against Aruba, three years later.
*Join our e-mailing list at JusticeforNatalee@gmail.com to learn of future events.
If "we the people" do not demand justice, nobody will. Join our boycott of Aruba.
***
Folks, that text will be on flyers that we will be giving out at the Houston Travel Show held at the George R Brown Convention Center on March 29-30, 2008. I will definitely be there, and we should have plenty of media attention thanks to local stations that have been sympathetic to Natalee's case in the past.
posted by Dan in Tx | 5:53 AM
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