Ala. Governor Calls for Aruba Boycott Over Holloway Case

[nickel]

if you had the chance to go to Aruba, would you still go?
if you were going on vacation, and had choices of places with similar climate/surroundings as Aruba in addition to Aruba where would you go?

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Bob Riley called for a nationwide travel boycott of Aruba on Tuesday until authorities on the Dutch Caribbean island cooperate more fully with the family of a teenager who has been missing since May.

Riley asked the governors of the other 49 states to join him in urging a boycott of Aruba on behalf of the family of Natalee Holloway, the 18-year-old Mountain Brook High graduate last seen on the island on May 30.

Her mother, Beth Holloway-Twitty, joined Riley at the Alabama Capitol for the boycott announcement. She contends Aruban authorities have failed to adequately investigate the possible murder of her daughter, who was with a Dutch teenager and two Surinamese brothers on the night she disappeared.

The young men were held for a time but have been released.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,174934,00.html

[Grimm]

Aruba is kinda screwed here. The person who disappeared Ms. Holloway didn't leave enough evidence for a solid investigation. They knew what to do to avoid getting caught.
So Aruba can either pick a suspect and throw them in prision, effectively violating his civil rights, or just drop it, continuing the fruitless investigation of course.

I don't think Nataliee Holloway is dead. I think somebody sold her.

[kgsilvas]

Aruba and Jamaica are both out for us. Wouldn't feel safe in either place.

[AlpineJay]

Aruba and Jamaica are both out for us. Wouldn't feel safe in either place.

I disagree. Before the Holloway incident, Aruba was widely deemed as the safest vacation spot on earth, not to mention beautiful beaches and scenery. I would go in a heartbeat.

I feel bad for Natalee, I really do. But the bottom line is that she went to a club, had quite a bit to drink, and from what we can gather, left the club consentually with those three guys. Stuff like this can happen in the US - quite frankly, probably more likely to happen here than in Aruba. I think attempting to stage a boycott over a single incident like this is absolutely ridiculous.

I think no matter where you are, you have to exercise the basic rules of keeping yourself safe. I have reason to believe that she didn't, and as a result fell victim to something clearly horrible. It's unfortunate, but the country shouldn't be held accountable for that.

Think about it - if something similar to happen in the US, would you say the same thing about boycotts and such? I think it's unfair.

[Merlin]

I've been to Aruba and thought it was a nice place although a bit to low key for my taste. Would I go again? Sure. One incident does not make it a dangerous place. If you want to go to a dangerous place in the Carib. the is Jamacia or the Dominican Rep. Go to one of those places and leave the resort then come tell me how dangerous Aruba really is. It is a shame that their daughter fell off the grid there but I'm not going to hold a whole country responsible for it.

[nickel]

I've been to Aruba and thought it was a nice place although a bit to low key for my taste. Would I go again? Sure. One incident does not make it a dangerous place. If you want to go to a dangerous place in the Carib. the is Jamacia or the Dominican Rep. Go to one of those places and leave the resort then come tell me how dangerous Aruba really is. It is a shame that their daughter fell off the grid there but I'm not going to hold a whole country responsible for it.

i've been, and i agree about the Dom Rep. being dangerous, but as with any place if you stay on the resort you're fine. i did have some of my innocence shattered though when i saw armed guards and they had BIG GUNS, at the entrances to the resort.

would i go to Aruba? sure, but an all inclusive resort there sounds like the way to go, too.

[speedracer120]

Why not go one step further and boycott alcohol and any knives?