American kidnapped in Medellin Tourist Zone

juancegomez says on Jun 28, 2006, 10:55:

I was almost going to say... ...that you didn't mention the fact that he was quickly freed, even if a firefight was necessary.

Thankfully, you did eventually state that, so what I was going to say is now moot.

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robi666 says on Jun 28, 2006, 11:52:

Vladimiro...
el tiempo doesn't mention any american... or am i wrong?
FARC... very strange.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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vladimiro says on Jun 28, 2006, 12:07:

FARC activity This article mentions the American who was apparrently a cousin of the Colombia that died. There is a fair amount of security in the area so its surprising that these guys tried this in day-light. The last time I went to Santa Fe de Antioquia the military at a road block was handing out flyers with photos if farc they were looking for.

"Un colombiano murió y un estadounidense resultó herido en intento de secuestro de las Farc"

http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/coar/ACC_MILITARES/accionesarmadas/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-2974238.html

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juanalejo says on Jun 28, 2006, 18:26:

FARC The guy was a Colombian with a US passport, cousin of the guy that died and they were in a farm where a rich guy´s son owner of the farm was going to get kidnapped.

Nobody has said FARC is not around, but this story is not quite close to the FARC looking around for any gringo to kidnap. There are still quite a few kidnaps around, but far less than some years ago and quite a few less than other countries where millions of gringos roam on holiday every year.

In Colombia if you are rich and vulnerable, you still have to be careful regardless if you are gringo or Colombian.

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platano says on Jun 28, 2006, 21:28:

DonGringo, You say: " Most kidnappings in Colombia do not get reported."

Why do you think that is? Are the press trying to help project the image of a safer Colombia as a favor to don Uribe?plátano

plátano

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utopiacowboy says on Jun 28, 2006, 21:28:

PBSH. Why would it surprise anyone that there are FARC there? There are FARC everywhere in Colombia. There are people on this site who are well acquainted with the FARC, ELN and AUC. These posts make it sound like they're all hiding in the jungle. Believe me, in Monteria, everyone knows where the big dogs live as well as the little dogs who run with the pack.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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juancegomez says on Jun 28, 2006, 22:19:

DonGringo That may be the "smart thing" from an egoistical perspective, and an entirely undestandable one at that because self-preservation is a basic instinct, but from a more socially conscious perspective that is exactly what the kidnappers want and what lets them thrive.

From the point of view of somebody that only thinks about himself or his family (a very respectable POV, I repeat), I see your point and it is a reasonable one. But if you generalize that, it quickly becomes worse than the alternative, when you think about society as a whole and the harm that pleasing kidnappers has caused.

Here, what you gain as a person by being "smart" is something you lose as part of a society. Love for my relatives is all nice and fine, but greater concerns triumph that, in my particular case. Logically, I expect that logic to apply to myself as well, the other way around, should I ever be kidnapped. I'm not denying that.

Since you appear to be, well...a gringo (for lack of a better word), and your society isn't this one at all, obviously I can see why this logic doesn't apply to you and others in your situation. Or to other Colombians, if they desire to place their necks above their heads.

And, for the record...despite what may be unfavorable odds on a mathematical level (hypothetically speaking, because not all kidnappings are created equal), the fact is that plenty of people have been effectively rescued before and still continue to be rescued when these things are reported early and comprehensively enough. In other words, when the right circumstances allow it. And these people do not necessarily end up dead or injured.

I remember googling up a list of successful rescues and I could do that again, if it was necessary. But it really isn't.

I'm not blind though. Those cases may be a minority, granted, because many people do obviously prefer to pay (yet even paying doesn't always work...some people have ended up paying infinitely increasing amounts of money, or simply never hearing from the kidnappers again...not to mention the victims).

And I'm also not saying that rescues are automatically going to work and carry no risks. They do, and there are cases that also prove that they can go wrong, horribly wrong. But the fact is that they are not useless either. They are just another option that should be realistically considered on a case by case basis. Sometimes they will have a chance, other times they are not worth considering.

But still...to sum it up in a few words: You go ahead and be the smart one this time.

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NeoPalindrome says on Jul 23, 2006, 22:05:

FARC in Monteria? When I was there I was told it was like the safest place to be. muy seguro. Was that incorrect?

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juancegomez says on Jul 24, 2006, 18:44:

It may not necessarily be incorrect, just incomplete Still, I know little about Monteria myself, so I can't comment on the specifics.

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