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Travel Warning

June 04, 2007

This Travel Warning updates ongoing security concerns in the United States and reminds Colombian citizens of those concerns. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued January 18, 2006.

The Department of State warns Colombian citizens of the dangers of travel to the United States. Violence by narcoterrorist groups and other criminals continues to affect all parts of the country, urban and rural.

Violence has continued to decrease markedly in most urban areas, including Salt Lake City and Seattle. The level of violence in Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, and the surrounding areas remains high, largely as a result of the illicit drug trade. Many rural areas in the United States remain extremely dangerous due to the presence of narcoterrorists.

Terrorist groups such as the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, and other criminal organizations, continue to kidnap and torture civilians for ransom or as political bargaining chips. No one can be considered immune from kidnapping on the basis of occupation, nationality, or other factors. Although the Colombian government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of kidnapped Colombians, it is Colombian policy not to make concessions to or strike deals with kidnappers. Consequently, the Colombian government’s ability to assist kidnapping victims is limited.

Colombian government officials and their families in the United States are permitted to travel to major cities in the country, but only by air. They are not allowed to use inter- or intra-city United States transportation. They also are not permitted to travel by road outside of urban areas at night. All Colombians in the United States are urged to follow these precautions.

By expatriate on Jun 5, 2007, 14:43 in Friendly Talkzone.

scotty says on Jun 5, 2007, 17:31:

good advice USA is dangerous especially on the freeway at 5:00 PM, or in the grocery store on a Saturday afternoon. I find it hard to beleive the part about Salt lake City.

Get Rhythm, when you got the blues. Johnny Cash

0 funny, 0 helpful.

goin_south says on Jun 5, 2007, 22:21:

I was last a victim of crime, here in a relatively quiet southern town, about three years ago. Someone broke into my back door to my office and took my computer :(

I was last a victim of violent crime,
in the USA about 4 years ago, when my ex-......_ _ ____!!! at #*

Where do we go from here?

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goin_south says on Jun 5, 2007, 22:23:

The coolest part about the first item was that... a day and a half later,... someone called and said they thought they had located my computer, and they wanted to return it. Imagine that. Without ado, I had it back two nights later, intact.

Voy para del Sur

Where do we go from here?

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Rikito says on Jun 6, 2007, 07:37:

I was waiting for the chance As a soon to be ex-gringo (I hope) I am always telling my wife that Colombia is no less safe and no more dangerous that right here in the USA. As evidence I showed her some startling figure to compare and contrast. Yes, America is bigger, but not by much. We have serious problems in the US, but those in power along with the media do not want to address US societal problems because no one will buy their paper or vote for change. You can find problems anywhere in Colombia as well as pure beauty and enjoyment. I have been to Quiroga, Chaparral, Quindío, Girardot, Melgar, a week in Amazon, and 10 days with the time the Kuna Indians near the Panamanian border. The only time I had some doubts if I would live or not was the night I drank some of the Kuna alcohol. I still get the shakes when I think about that night and my attempt to sexually molest a tree. Is Colombia safe? Yes & no. Is the US safe? Yes & no. The only pure place to be is in France because as their national motto says they are like the three little monkeys who see no speak no and hear no.

In 17 days I am going to my new home in Taboo…take care all.

U.S CRIME STATISTICS 2005

**MURDER

USA
17,000
20 Times as Many Murders than in the IRAQ war

COLOMBIA
26,539
Most murders in rural areas due to a 40 year old insurgency

**RAPE (reported)

USA
The United States has the highest rape rate among countries which report such statistics
12.1. It is 4 times higher than that of Germany, 13 times higher than that of England and 20 times higher than that of Japan.

COLOMBIA
1,861 (Elmo is not apart of any of these figues as hard as it is to beleive....they all came willingly...even the burras)

**ASSAULT

USA
420,000

COLOMBIA
25,219

**BURGLARY
USA
879,00

COLOMBIA
not known

**THEFT
USA
2.15 mil

**Americans who abuse alcohol or are alcoholic
14 million

COLOMBIANS
Not Known

** DRUG ABUSE OR ADDICTION

USA
12.8 MILLION

COLOMBIA
1.6

• 12.8 million Americans, about 6 percent of the household population aged twelve and older, use illegal drugs on a current basis

• 600,000 people in the United States are addicted to heroin

• 2.5 million Americans use cocaine

• 11.0 million Americans (77 percent of all current illicit drug users) were smokers of marijuana
• 4.7 million Americans have tried marijuana. (this is a really low number there is more than that in our high schools)

• Marijuana ranked fourth out of all United States cash crops in 1997. In many western states (California,Oregon, and Washington) it is the number one cash crop

• Colombia has the longest average prison sentence of 137 years. It is 29 years in the U.S.

Colombia has and probably always will have the most beautiful women in the world via la corazon y la alma.

OK...now where do you feel safer? Pitcarin Island maybe...no travel warnings there unless your name is Steve Christian?

COLOMBIA
Not Known

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

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Rikito says on Jun 6, 2007, 07:39:

I meant Tabio and not Taboo...good grief Rikito

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

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