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Travel warning for Colombians

This Travel Warning is being issued to remind Colombian citizens of ongoing security concerns in United States. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued March 3, 2004.

The Department of State warns Colombian citizens of the dangers of travel to United States. Violence by narcoterrorist groups and other criminal elements continues to affect all parts of the country, urban and rural, and border areas. Citizens of Colombia and other countries continue to be the victims of threats, kidnappings, and other violence.

Violence has decreased markedly in most urban centers, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and New York, although travelers should stay out of subways and tall buildings. Nevertheless, since the year 2000, 32 Colombians were reported kidnapped in various parts of the country, including four in 2004. No one can be considered immune on the basis of occupation, nationality or any other factor. A number of kidnappings are committed by terrorist groups, including the Neocons and the U.S. Army. The Neocons are suspected of being responsible for holding captive three Colombians since February 2003. The Colombian government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of kidnapped Colombians. However, it is Colombian policy not to make concessions to, or strike deals with terrorists, so the Colombian government’s ability to assist kidnapped Colombian citizens is limited.

Violence in Washington D.C. and the surrounding areas remains high, much of it related to the government sanctioned drug trade. Much of rural United States also remains extremely dangerous due to the presence of narcoterrorists and the United States government. While family members are allowed to accompany Colombian government officials assigned to United States, in-country travel by Colombian officials and their families is subject to restrictions. Travel by air is allowed to all major cities, but urban and intra-city bus transportation is off-limits to official Colombians. Colombian citizens should not travel by road outside of urban areas at night.

As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats to Colombian citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its Consular Information Program documents. Colombian travelers can also get up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-572-888-555-4747 in Colombia or on a regular toll line at 1-572-555-4444.

By expatriate on Jul 26, 2005, 19:19 in Friendly Talkzone.

utopiacowboy says on Jul 26, 2005, 19:31:

While amusing, unfortunately, it's not accurate. There is a program on NPR called LatinoUSA and a recent program discussed what has been happening in the US and Latin America with regards to crime and violence. The US has gotten markedly safer while places like Mexico, the DR and several countries in Central America are disintegrating. A woman said she used to go home to the DR from the US twenty years ago and it was so much safer back home. Now it's completely reversed.

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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lobo47 says on Jul 26, 2005, 19:41:

is this a fairy tale? Why would someone write such trash? none of the above is true. I would comment on each and every issue written but it would take to long. I am an american and granted every country has spots they would not want to go to. Big cities are big cities but you get into the country and you will be amazed at the friendly folk you can meet.
How can someone write such lies?
By the way, the neocons are underground and if they had kidnapped anybody the ( the neocons) would not exist. By the way, please tell me who your ficticous kidnapped individuals are? THEY DO NOT EXIST!
By the way I was raised in rural country and they are country folk.
Should anyone, colombian or whatever have a problem in the country, You will be amazed how many people will stop and help.
What kind of lying propoganda is the above written dung heap. This must be written by someone very envios of the United states.

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vettra says on Jul 26, 2005, 19:51:

well maybe one good outcome is that it keeps some of the stupid gringos away..

Greg Atlanta, GA

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lobo47 says on Jul 26, 2005, 20:02:

is that racially intended? I gather you think all whites or gringos are stupid? Just for you I cannot wait to visit your country, hey didnt stop this STUPID gringo. but then normally I do not have to deal with those like you that are mentally challenged

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Rubiazo says on Jul 26, 2005, 21:38:

The post forgot to mention the dangers of travelling as an obvious non-Christian or an interracial couple in the rural South.

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Jensterova says on Jul 27, 2005, 04:52:

Howdy!! FACT: 47% of Americans are in-bred!

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kernow62 says on Jul 27, 2005, 05:30:

Geez you guys need to have a bit of a laugh. The OP was just posting what the US State Dept. issues about travel in Colombia but reversing the names. Embelished with a bit of the terrorist attacks on the US and London.

I thought it was quite good and does show the sometimes extreme nature of State Dept. warnings. Of course they are rarely taken 100% by seasoned travellers but they do tend to frighten the average tourist. There is much truth in the warnings but they err on the side of extreme safety and much of it is for government employees who might more likely be the victims of kidnapping. They also help get better pay for the US executives who work in Colombia or other "risky" places.

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Peter Miami says on Jul 27, 2005, 06:26:

Colombians Yes stay away from the United States it is a very dangerous place. I would not go there if I did not live there. Miami is the worst city of all cocaine, crime, murder, kidnappings and hookers. We do not want to share our drugs with foreigners. Oh I forgot nice beaches, clubs and restaurants. :-)

Miami Chamber of Commerce

Peter Miami

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Colombiche says on Jul 27, 2005, 06:33:

It's only a joke You guys need to chillax. I don't see anybody pulling a hissy fit when the anti-colombian comments are made. SO, everybody just be thick skinned and take it with a pinch of salt. CHILLAX. This website is all for jokes and that is clearly the intention of the OP. It is a freggin' joke. We colombians realize that our country is regarded as one of the danger zones on the globe, big deal, we are just having fun with the concept. I bet the person who came up with that is a big time chibchombiano come arepa, mejor dicho mi gente.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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expatriate says on Jul 27, 2005, 06:43:

Thanks guys Thanks for the last three comments about my humor post. Kernow62 pointed out that this was a joke and that I was simply copying the U.S. travel warning into Word, then reversing the words U.S. and Colombia, plus a few more words of my own creativity. Everybody else, chill out!

BTW, I retired to Cali about a year ago after living in Silicon Valley for 48 years. John

In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile.

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utopiacowboy says on Jul 27, 2005, 08:21:

I didn't know about "the dangers of travelling as an obvious non-Christian or an interracial couple in the rural South." Amazing what you learn on the internet! So would this include my son and his black girlfriend here in South Texas? I didn't know they were in such danger - everything seems cool as far as I can tell. I'll have to tell them that some guy on the internet said they were in danger.

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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Rubiazo says on Jul 27, 2005, 20:15:

I've never been to TX But I've never thought about it as part of the South! Texas is, well, Texas!!
I was more referring to rural Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia Lousiana etc, and YES I did have problems there, as well as in the city of Memphis.

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lpdiver says on Jul 29, 2005, 04:04:

UC... I can tell you that racism is very much alive and well in Denham Springs, Louisiana. I suggested that my wife take her driving portion of her exam there as it was closer to the house and more rural tha. Baton Rouge. She was allowed to back all of six inches before she was failed. I don't think we would be in any danger though, just discriminated against. I didn't look there in my recent home search...jejeje.

Tony

"cook some rice!"

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brunito says on Jul 29, 2005, 04:27:

License exam Did she visually inspect the car?
Did she adjust her seat?
Did she adjust her mirrors?
Did she ask the examiner to check out her head/turn/warning lights while she was turning them on/off?

I don't know about Louisianna but here in Quebec province, failure to do more than one of these items before putting the car in motion is grounds for exam failure...

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viewpoint says on Jul 29, 2005, 04:55:

Not every place under the USA flag is safe !!! I live part of the time in a US caribbean territory of 100,000 people (30,000 more than Aruba). In the first seven months of 2005 (January through July) there have been 22 murders, one arrest and no convictions.

The only crime deterient is retaliation and not crime enforcement. On an annualized basis that would be 37.714 murders per year with a total population of 100,000.

Fox News Network and CNN's coverage of the murder in Aruba is so misleading by infering that Aruba is a crimefest with it's 3 murders per year while under the USA flag people are murdered here on USA soil and not a word is spoken on national news. Aruba is probably one of the most safest islands in the caribbean.

People here always question me about (the safety of) living in Medellin, Colombia and I just smile and tell them I live there because it's safer, more modern infastructure, modern utilities and great health facilities and personnel, more moderate climate and great people. Actually, I just give them the toned down version so as not to burn any bridges and save the sugar coated version for more accepting company.

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utopiacowboy says on Jul 29, 2005, 08:01:

My friends in the USVI have to cope with a terrible crime situation. I really don't know how they can live there. "American Paradise" - riiiiiiiight!

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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Rubiazo says on Jul 29, 2005, 19:59:

We have ads here all over the NYC subway for the US Virgin Islands. Somehow they forgot to mention the murder rate I guess!!

I'd still like to know just where it is on Planet Earth that's actually really just safe and there is no crime risk. I haven't seen a place like that yet. Maybe there is one, but I haven't seen or heard of it yet.

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Sonny says on Jul 29, 2005, 20:17:

jensterova I did not know that. I wonder what part of the 100% I fall in. As many times as I have been screwed I have felt that I could have been inbread or maybe I was just screwed. Anyway this STUPID Gringo is getting married to a COLOMBIAN so time will surly tell.

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Sonny says on Jul 29, 2005, 20:23:

Rubiazo The united Empire of Texas sold those states years ago. Had no need for them. The women all say you'all can. Not good for the Empire.
Your right,however, TEXAS is TEXAS.:-)

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lpdiver says on Jul 30, 2005, 06:20:

Brunito she was... Failed because she motioned with her hands and asked the driver "You want me to go this way?" He said she didn't understand the controls of the car.

The problem was one of race and nothing more. Denham Springs is the home of David Duke former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. I made a mistake going there; but, as I don't thank along racial lines it never occured to me not to go there.

T

"cook some rice!"

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spy1984 says on Aug 1, 2005, 22:55:

Damn Gringos They are so dumb. Interesting reading below.

Trains, planes, cars, rockets, telescopes, tires, telephones, radios, television, electricity, atomic energy, computers, and fax machines. All miracles made possible by the minds and spirits of men with names like Ampere, Bell, Caselli, Edison, Ohm, Faraday, Einstein, Cohen, Teller, Shockley, Hertz, Marconi, Morse, Popov. Ford, Volta, Michelin, Dunlop, Watt, Diesel, Galileo, and other "dead white males."

The great majority of "booms" past and present have been brought about by the genius and inventiveness of that most "despicable" of genders, the dreaded white male, or, to be exact, by specific, individual white males. This is not to discredit the many contributions coming from non-whites, but fact is fact. Our most important and consequential inventions have come almost exclusively from white males.

From the basic discoveries of Greek civilization it went to the Romans and after the fall of Rome, it passed to later Europeans who expanded on this scientific knowledge. In modern times these ideas were developed by such Europeans as Volta, Ampere, Watt, Bell, Edison, and Einstein, who provided the basis for most of the technical wonders of today. All of them dreaded white males.

If you eliminate, suppress, or debase the while male, you kill the goose that laid the golden egg. If you ace him out with "affirmative" action, exile him from the family, teach him that he’s a blight on mankind, then bon voyage to our society. We will devolve into a turd-world cesspool. Where has there ever before in history been a group of human beings who have brought about the likes of the Magna Carta, the US Constitution, and the countless life-saving and life- improving inventions that we now enjoy?

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quindioman says on Aug 2, 2005, 05:43:

civilization started with the Greeks,,,,,,amazing what you learn on the nei

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Colombiche says on Aug 2, 2005, 06:50:

Funny..... Here I was thinking that the Incas and the Mayas actually had flushing toilets when the Europeans were still in the dark ages, peeing in a pottie and tossing it out the window.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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Colombiche says on Aug 2, 2005, 06:51:

Oh..and... Einstein was a Jew.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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BAQ says on Aug 2, 2005, 08:23:

TEXAS I came to Colombia from the REPUBLIC OF TEXAS.

Semper Fidelis !

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Rubiazo says on Aug 2, 2005, 09:44:

Colombiche: I didn't know the Europeans had bottles back then!!

Actually in terms of medicine, the Yoruba and a few other African tribes were WAY ahead of Europe in the time of Columbus. They even had a primitive form of the vaccine. Before that, the Arab world was unquestionably the center of civilization from the 600s to the 1400s or so.
During the time of Christ, the Chinese were on top. The Europeans didn't take center stage until the Industrial Revolution, which wouldn't have happened without technologies invented in other parts of the world.
Calling the Romans 'white' is a bit of a stretch too. My nickname was originally a racial slur in ancient Rome. In those days pretty much all big blond hairy oafs were barbarians.

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