What happened to those kidnapped tourists in Choco/Morro Micos?

island girl says on Feb 28, 2008, 07:30:

Nothing in the International media about them so let me know

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durito says on Feb 28, 2008, 08:20:

Last thing I read was over a month ago.

http://www.eltiempo.com/conflicto/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-...

Enero 16 de 2008

Sigue búsqueda de seis secuestrados en Nuquí (Chocó)
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Búsqueda de secuestrados en Nuquí (Chocó) se dificulta por densidad de la selva ,explicó Juan Manuel Santos (La W)

Con incertidumbre y sin noticias sobre las exigencias del frente 57 de las Farc continuaban los familiares de algunos de los turistas plagiados el domingo en la playa Morromico.

Agentes del Gaula recopilaron testimonios sobre los plagiados y les hicieron firmar las declaraciones.

Mientras tanto, el comandante de la Policía en Chocó, coronel Javier Herrera, informó que siguen las operaciones conjuntas sobre la ensenada de Utría, hacia donde los subversivos habrían llevado a los plagiados.

"Se está haciendo un operativo envolvente para tratar de frenar el escape del grupo", aseguró el oficial.

Los seis secuestrados hacían parte de un grupo de 19 personas que fueron a conocer el sector. Ayer, Horacio González, el lanchero que los llevó, se defendió de las sospechas y dijo con rabia: "se quieren lavar las manos conmigo".

Según el capitán Benjamín Calle, comandante (e) de la Fuerza Naval del Pacífico, la lancha en la que salieron los turistas desde Nuquí no tenía permiso de navegación vigente ni anunció su viaje a la Capitanía de Puerto de Bahía Solano, donde se hace el control para la seguridad de las embarcaciones.

Pero González , de 43 años, casado y padre de tres hijos, no deja de repetir que no tuvo nada que ver, que él es uno de los más perjudicados y explicó que incluso aunque los guerrilleros les prohibieron moverse del lugar del plagio hasta determinado tiempo, él salió a un lugar cercano a buscar gasolina y denunciar lo ocurrido.

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tasco66 says on Feb 28, 2008, 08:44:

Yep, Chavez and Piedad prefer high profile hostages, it draws more media attention to their organized release

Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation!

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msaucey says on Feb 28, 2008, 08:48:

Nice pic tasco.... lol

The trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. - CS Lewis

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island girl says on Feb 28, 2008, 08:57:

and why would this demographic be targeted ... they were mostly Colombian tourists I think ... just to strike fear in the populace? Affect tourism in the Choco (ecolodges seem to have been gaining momentum in that area ??) And it hasn't seemed to garner much attention afterwards so ... any thoughts on why?

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Pimpinero says on Feb 28, 2008, 09:09:

The irony of it all is that for all the high profile releases there have been an equal or greater number of kidnappings in the same time frame, so that on the whole the country isn't any better off.

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toneloc24 says on Feb 28, 2008, 09:13:

Probably weren't "targeted" per se, just wrong place, wrong time. Not the safest area anyways, esp. for tourists, according to a good friend of mine who's originally from there and still has family there.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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Mr. Hollywood says on Feb 28, 2008, 09:26:

They seem to be fairly affluent Colombians. I'm sure it's a kidnapping for ransom and the local FARC front is currently extracting every penny it can wring from the victim's families.

I also imagine that if the FARC is trafficking cocaine in the area anything that cuts down on tourism is a good thing from their POV.

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tasco66 says on Feb 28, 2008, 09:54:

"Nice pic tasco.... lol"

Thank you!

Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation!

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gatogris says on Feb 28, 2008, 10:11:

Remember, it is unclear from an intelligence standpoint exactly how much control the central authority of the FARC exercises over each Frente. The group who kidnapped the tourists off of the beach below morro mico were probably operating at least semi-autonomously, and were looking for ways in which to increase their own individual resource base. They were also probably amateurs, as kidnapping for profit is a very difficult and time-consuming enterprise, which is why most hostages are kept in areas where the FARC has deep roots.

This is a cause for concern for those in captivity. If you're going to be kidnapped, pray that its by professionals with lots of experience. Incompetence, in this case, is a serious health risk. In the jungle backlands of the Choco, the FARC is on the run from the Navy, which has the most security personnel there, and the last large un-demobilized paramilitary group. Once again, its the same story: innocents caught in the crossfire.

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Ctg Bound says on Feb 28, 2008, 10:36:

I thought the tourists in Choco who were kidnapped about a month ago were all killed, garoted I think...?

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Mr. Hollywood says on Feb 28, 2008, 10:41:

Nope. That was a different group of kidnapping victims.

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bill230 says on Feb 28, 2008, 10:52:

here somewhere

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DodgerDogs says on Feb 28, 2008, 11:02:

Here is the latest mention of them.
www.wradio.com.co/nota.asp?id=554566 -

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

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Atrevido says on Feb 28, 2008, 14:31:

I just asked some friends of mine who have a business in bahia Solano about the kidnapped tourists. They said there is no news.

This is a photo I took the day after the kidnapping at the airport of Bahia Solano. The soldiers were gearing up to go into the jungle to look for them. Doesn´t seem to have done much good.

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Sam Salmon says on Feb 28, 2008, 17:50:

In fairness to the Army-that jungle is a hellhole almost beyond belief-it rains so much some of it has never been properly mapped satellites can't penetrate the cloud cover.

' a la orden!'

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la campiña says on Feb 28, 2008, 21:07:

spag bol ayer nice

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Gator says on Mar 1, 2008, 19:32:

five steps off of what passes for a road and you disappear.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

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