According to veteran policeman he will restructure the Bonaire force
Jan van der Straten will serve as High Commissioner for 6 to 12 months
He has an agreement with the Bonaire police union so he doesn’t understand the conflict
Bon Dia
12/22/2005
ORANJESTAD – As long as the country decision is not signed and in his hands, Jan vd Straten does not plan to start his new job in Bonaire as High Commissioner of the island of flamingos. Jan vd Straten said this to Bon Dia Aruba yesterday in an exclusive interview.
He confirmed the Bon Dia Aruba news that he will be the next chief of police of Bonaire and said that while he accepted this job, Aruba remains his home.
REQUEST FOR VD STRATEN
It was 2 to 3 years ago that the Antilles made the first attempt to seek vd Straten to work in Bonaire. “But my contract (in Aruba) was to end in August 15, 2005, so there wasn’t a possibility to go”, vd Straten said to this publication. He will procure to finalize this re-organization in Aruba first. After the invitation from the current Minister of Justice of the Anitlles, David Dick, he accepted the position. It was after two months passed that he spoke to his colleague and current Bonaire police chief Gerold Daantje.
WORKING TOGETHER
Here, they spoke about how they’re going to work together to see how vd Straten can work in Bonaire to prepare the police force in a new way and establish a relationship with Holland. While Daantje shared his opinion about the functioning in Bonaire, he expressed his preference to continue to study IT via a study task of the government of the US. As such, he came to an agreement with Minister Dick to leave Bonaire.
COUNTRY DECIDES
Once the country decision is made and in vd Straten’s hands, in what relates to his new function, he has to write a letter to Holland to postpone the payment of his pension for 6 to 12 months, which is the duration of his contract with Bonaire. The reason is that during this time, vd Straten will prepare the position for another person who has to assume the role as commissioner. The intention is to work on some project that will procure more security for the people of Bonaire, something that vd Straten considers an assured challenge.
UPSET IN THE FORCE
The fact that there is mention of an upset among members of the Bonaire police force with the arrival of vd Straten, is no very comprehensible for the former police commissioner of Aruba. This is because, according to the veteran policeman, he had a good understanding with the Bonaire police union. “It has always been my opinion that you have to care about these things that are very regulated for my colleagues. Then vd Straten will come”, the former commissioner continues to say. “That is an agreement with the union that they said to me 2 months ago. They assured me that they didn’t have a problem with anything”, vd Straten continued to say, reiterating that these issues have to be solved. “Van der Straten will not go work in a place where a colleague is already sitting as police chief”, vd Straten said.
STARTING DATE
The initial date mentioned for the police veteran to start his new position in Bonaire, according to Minister David Dick, is the 1st of January, 2006. But in practice, it seems that this will be a little later. “This is the main point. But everything has to be settled” vd Straten continued to say. He will not base it on a verbal agreement nor on a written one, but on a country decision.
“It is on a letter from the Minister that they will be in full agreement, but for me it has to be a country agreement to delay my pension”, vd Straten said. About the question that if he is asked to extend his permanency in Bonaire after a year, he categorically said no. “I am willing to work between 6 and 12 months in Bonaire. However, do not forget that I am retired. And my heart is in Aruba. I like working in Bonaire, but until now I live very well in Aruba” vd Straten finally said.
12.21.2005
According to American prosecutor
Aruban investigative team is very professional in the gathering of evidence and interrogation
DIARIO Aruba
12/21/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): After the Aruban delegation met with American Congressman Spencer Bachus and Shelby county prosecutor Robby Owens and David Barber of Jefferson county, Barber said to the American press that he offered Aruba his help to obtain interviews win Natalee Holloway’s classmates.
For this to happen, however, according to the prosecutor, certain international protocols must be taken into account so that the information is legally obtained and is able to be used in court.
Congressman Bachus continues to say that it is Aruba’s intention to continue forging ahead and not close this case, which has 14 investigators working on it.
Prosecutor Owens said that Aruba lacks experience in homicide cases, because there are hardly ever any homicides [in Aruba], but he said that Aruba is very professional in the gathering of evidence and interrogation of suspects.
“I feel better about the investigation, after meeting with them.” This according to Congressman Spencer Bachus, after his meeting with the delegation from Aruba.
Aruban investigative team is very professional in the gathering of evidence and interrogation
DIARIO Aruba
12/21/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): After the Aruban delegation met with American Congressman Spencer Bachus and Shelby county prosecutor Robby Owens and David Barber of Jefferson county, Barber said to the American press that he offered Aruba his help to obtain interviews win Natalee Holloway’s classmates.
For this to happen, however, according to the prosecutor, certain international protocols must be taken into account so that the information is legally obtained and is able to be used in court.
Congressman Bachus continues to say that it is Aruba’s intention to continue forging ahead and not close this case, which has 14 investigators working on it.
Prosecutor Owens said that Aruba lacks experience in homicide cases, because there are hardly ever any homicides [in Aruba], but he said that Aruba is very professional in the gathering of evidence and interrogation of suspects.
“I feel better about the investigation, after meeting with them.” This according to Congressman Spencer Bachus, after his meeting with the delegation from Aruba.
12.20.2005
According to attorney Schipper and Commissioner Richardson in regards to the case of Natalee Holloway
American Congressman Spencer Bachus is willing to help Aruba
DIARIO Aruba
12/20/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): As it is known, a delegation from Aruba travelled to Washington to meet with American member of Congress Spencer Bachus and two prosecutors from Alabama to explain to the American Congress, how the investigation of the case of Natalee Holloway has gone so far and what the intention is for the continuation of the investigation in order to arrive at a solution to this case.
Commissioner Dolfi Richardson, who said that the trip was very fruitful, where on behalf of Aruba, he and attorney Schipper succeeded in raising various important points.
According to Richardson, the American member of Congress said that if Aruba needs any help with this investigation, he can request and get it.
DIARIO also conversed with attorney Arlene Schipper, who said that when they arrived in America at around 8 pm Thursday, they met with the consultants they are working with, to prepare for the meeting with Congress, this meeting ending at around 2 am.
Thursday morning at 9, they met with the Congressman Spencer Bachus, along with two prosecutors from Alabama, one of whom is from the same part of Alabama as Beth Twitty. This happened in the well known Capitol Hill in Washington.
The delegation from Aruba explained in detail the manner in which the police force and other investigators in Aruba worked on this case and are working still, to demonstrate that they have not and are not doing a bad job.
According to Schipper the meeting was to last one hour, but it went well and Mr. Bachus and others in the American delegation had so many questions that the meeting lasted 2 hours.
In what has come out in the American press, the Congressman said that he knows how the press works and that there are many things that have come out in the press that he doesn’t believe.
Congressman Bachus also said to the representatives of Aruba that he is willing to help with anything in this case.
The Aruban delegation took the opportunity to speak about the fact that Aruba handed over some time ago a request for ‘Rechtshulp’ (legal advice) from America, and never heard about it again.
This is very important, for example, for the interrogation of Natalee Holloway’s classmates.
Bachus told the Aruban delegation that will procure that the process is undertaken so that the investigative team can find the opportunity to get information out of the students, which may be relevant to this case.
According to Mrs. Schipper, the whole meeting progressed in a pleasant manner and after the meeting, one of the prosecutors gave a press conference, where he expressed that he is convinced that the manner in which the investigation is going in Aruba is very professional.
One of the most important things to come out of the meeting, according to attorney Schipper, is that Aruba and the Twitty/Holloway family have to reconcile, because both parties will benefit from solving this case.
American Congressman Spencer Bachus is willing to help Aruba
DIARIO Aruba
12/20/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): As it is known, a delegation from Aruba travelled to Washington to meet with American member of Congress Spencer Bachus and two prosecutors from Alabama to explain to the American Congress, how the investigation of the case of Natalee Holloway has gone so far and what the intention is for the continuation of the investigation in order to arrive at a solution to this case.
Commissioner Dolfi Richardson, who said that the trip was very fruitful, where on behalf of Aruba, he and attorney Schipper succeeded in raising various important points.
According to Richardson, the American member of Congress said that if Aruba needs any help with this investigation, he can request and get it.
DIARIO also conversed with attorney Arlene Schipper, who said that when they arrived in America at around 8 pm Thursday, they met with the consultants they are working with, to prepare for the meeting with Congress, this meeting ending at around 2 am.
Thursday morning at 9, they met with the Congressman Spencer Bachus, along with two prosecutors from Alabama, one of whom is from the same part of Alabama as Beth Twitty. This happened in the well known Capitol Hill in Washington.
The delegation from Aruba explained in detail the manner in which the police force and other investigators in Aruba worked on this case and are working still, to demonstrate that they have not and are not doing a bad job.
According to Schipper the meeting was to last one hour, but it went well and Mr. Bachus and others in the American delegation had so many questions that the meeting lasted 2 hours.
In what has come out in the American press, the Congressman said that he knows how the press works and that there are many things that have come out in the press that he doesn’t believe.
Congressman Bachus also said to the representatives of Aruba that he is willing to help with anything in this case.
The Aruban delegation took the opportunity to speak about the fact that Aruba handed over some time ago a request for ‘Rechtshulp’ (legal advice) from America, and never heard about it again.
This is very important, for example, for the interrogation of Natalee Holloway’s classmates.
Bachus told the Aruban delegation that will procure that the process is undertaken so that the investigative team can find the opportunity to get information out of the students, which may be relevant to this case.
According to Mrs. Schipper, the whole meeting progressed in a pleasant manner and after the meeting, one of the prosecutors gave a press conference, where he expressed that he is convinced that the manner in which the investigation is going in Aruba is very professional.
One of the most important things to come out of the meeting, according to attorney Schipper, is that Aruba and the Twitty/Holloway family have to reconcile, because both parties will benefit from solving this case.
12.19.2005
Editorial: Complexes and Envy: a bad combination!
DIARIO Aruba
12/19/2005
In Aruba, everyone is aware that there is a big quantity of complexed people, and still more envious ones. What many people do not know is that the combination of both is twice as repugnant. An Aruban, for example, doesn’t have the same grade of acceptance for his merits like any citizen of other countries do, because the theory of the hemchi [basket?] full of crabs exists on our island.
If one of the crabs wants to grab them rim of the hemchi [basket?] to come out, the others pull it down! For them, it’s better to be mediocre than for any one of them to be successful! This is part of the mentality that is an obstacle to the total progress of Aruba.
The case of Natalee has categorically emphasized this concept. Those who have no opinion, or who do not want to give the opinion that they have, or are convinced that their opinion is worthless, refuse to voice it, but on the other hand criticize those who have to courage to do so.
It is the eternal negative human factor, without prosperity and without remedy. Instead of letting those who can contribute to a solution of the case, or at the very lease avoid the worst for Aruba, do their work in peace, the complexed and envious people employ their tongues as a destructive weapon that gives no respite or rest.
What they do not understand, because it cannot penetrate the small alley of their brains, is that a confrontational attitude is not going to help solve Natalee’s case, nor avoid a boycott against Aruba.
The People of America do not care one bit for the comparison of Natalee with the many thousands other cases in the US of youngsters who have disappeared. It is this case, the one of Natalee in particular, which has captured their attention, not the others, amen if they will be solved or not.
Are they by any chance not aware of them? The American People are very well informed as to what happens in their country and do not need anyone to remind them of all the cases that they seriously lament.
I feel for the families of these youngsters, and because there is nothing worse than losing a child, but the case of Natalee is the one that has the actual emphasis in the American media, along with others in similar or worse situations.
Closing your eyes to this reality is demonstrative of a level of stupidity more profound that can be imagined, and to go in a confrontation to try to bury that of Natalee comparing her with thousands of others that are missing in the US, proves this level.
With the three suspects having admitted that they had sexual relations with Natalee when she was temporarily unconscious, is categorical and in the Police records.
At such a time where a person is unconscious, they don’t have the capacity to consent to anything. And in our law, if I’m not mistaken, any sexual act that does not have the consent of both parties, is punishable by law. And this is just what happened with Natalee, who was submitted against her will (because she was unconscious) to sexual acts imposed upon her. That is to say, she was raped. There is no defense lawyer who can argue to the contrary.
I’m not going to waste time with envious people, and even less with complexed people, nor with their criticisms, and if they are looking for a debate for me to give them the importance that they do not have, let them lose hope because this is not going to happen.
The dogs can bark as much as they want; the caravan is destined to continue its way without interruption. I consider my time to be too valuable to lose one second with the people who do not even deserve my attention. As the Persian savant (Omar Khayam) said so many years ago in a paragraph of his Rubiyat:
And so the rooster sang, to those standing in front
In the tavern the shout “Open the door then!
“You know how little time we have left,
“And once we are gone, we will never be able to go back.”
DIARIO Aruba
12/19/2005
In Aruba, everyone is aware that there is a big quantity of complexed people, and still more envious ones. What many people do not know is that the combination of both is twice as repugnant. An Aruban, for example, doesn’t have the same grade of acceptance for his merits like any citizen of other countries do, because the theory of the hemchi [basket?] full of crabs exists on our island.
If one of the crabs wants to grab them rim of the hemchi [basket?] to come out, the others pull it down! For them, it’s better to be mediocre than for any one of them to be successful! This is part of the mentality that is an obstacle to the total progress of Aruba.
The case of Natalee has categorically emphasized this concept. Those who have no opinion, or who do not want to give the opinion that they have, or are convinced that their opinion is worthless, refuse to voice it, but on the other hand criticize those who have to courage to do so.
It is the eternal negative human factor, without prosperity and without remedy. Instead of letting those who can contribute to a solution of the case, or at the very lease avoid the worst for Aruba, do their work in peace, the complexed and envious people employ their tongues as a destructive weapon that gives no respite or rest.
What they do not understand, because it cannot penetrate the small alley of their brains, is that a confrontational attitude is not going to help solve Natalee’s case, nor avoid a boycott against Aruba.
The People of America do not care one bit for the comparison of Natalee with the many thousands other cases in the US of youngsters who have disappeared. It is this case, the one of Natalee in particular, which has captured their attention, not the others, amen if they will be solved or not.
Are they by any chance not aware of them? The American People are very well informed as to what happens in their country and do not need anyone to remind them of all the cases that they seriously lament.
I feel for the families of these youngsters, and because there is nothing worse than losing a child, but the case of Natalee is the one that has the actual emphasis in the American media, along with others in similar or worse situations.
Closing your eyes to this reality is demonstrative of a level of stupidity more profound that can be imagined, and to go in a confrontation to try to bury that of Natalee comparing her with thousands of others that are missing in the US, proves this level.
With the three suspects having admitted that they had sexual relations with Natalee when she was temporarily unconscious, is categorical and in the Police records.
At such a time where a person is unconscious, they don’t have the capacity to consent to anything. And in our law, if I’m not mistaken, any sexual act that does not have the consent of both parties, is punishable by law. And this is just what happened with Natalee, who was submitted against her will (because she was unconscious) to sexual acts imposed upon her. That is to say, she was raped. There is no defense lawyer who can argue to the contrary.
I’m not going to waste time with envious people, and even less with complexed people, nor with their criticisms, and if they are looking for a debate for me to give them the importance that they do not have, let them lose hope because this is not going to happen.
The dogs can bark as much as they want; the caravan is destined to continue its way without interruption. I consider my time to be too valuable to lose one second with the people who do not even deserve my attention. As the Persian savant (Omar Khayam) said so many years ago in a paragraph of his Rubiyat:
And so the rooster sang, to those standing in front
In the tavern the shout “Open the door then!
“You know how little time we have left,
“And once we are gone, we will never be able to go back.”
Joran van der Sloot returns to Aruba today
DIARIO Aruba
12/20/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Although sources said that his visit to Aruba is to spend “Christmas and New Year’s” with his family, there is an indication that local authorities want to speak with him again, after officials have reviewed all evidence months back.
Sources showed that Joran’s ticket had already been purhcased and he’s leaving Cold Land to come to Aruba. The news that he is leaving Holland for vacations was also noted by the American media.
DIARIO Aruba
12/20/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Although sources said that his visit to Aruba is to spend “Christmas and New Year’s” with his family, there is an indication that local authorities want to speak with him again, after officials have reviewed all evidence months back.
Sources showed that Joran’s ticket had already been purhcased and he’s leaving Cold Land to come to Aruba. The news that he is leaving Holland for vacations was also noted by the American media.
12.16.2005
According to Internet Blog
There is a big chance that Natalee Holloway was pregnant when she was in Aruba
DIARIO Aruba
12/16/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): Recently, on one of the ‘blogs’ on the Internet, where people around the world discuss the case of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, there was an interesting discussion about this case.
They started to discuss the reason that Natalee could have decided to disappear. Those on that blog, assumed for a moment that Natalee is not dead and that she decided to run away. According to the person who runs the blog, there are indications that Natalee was pregnant and under stress because of her pregnancy.
He/she said that if one compared a picture of Natalee when she went to the prom on the 3rd of May to the photo of Natalee when she was here in Aruba, one can see that she is around 10% heavier than when she was in the US.
This does not necessarily signify that she was pregnant, but the indications are strong that this was the case, and according to that person, the young American was between 4 and 5 months pregnant.
Another indication that she was pregnant is that Joran said that Natalee was hysterical when on the beach at the Marriott, which could be a sign that this is the case and because of this she wanted to remain on the beach and not go back to the Holiday Inn.
According to the person from the blog, it is very regrettable that Natalee’s family have done everything in their power so that no one can see the pictures of the students in the time they were in Aruba so that they cannot comment much on what they did in Aruba. He/she continues to say that there could be some of the students who know that Natalee was indeed expecting a child and by who.
The person continues to say that probably Natalee’s classmates could have helped her escape and get back to the US, in a hidden manner, due to the shame and scandal that it would be for Natalee and the father of her supposed child, when the families found out.
The question remains, how Natalee and her friends could have succeeded in getting Natalee out of Aruba, without the help of locals. Because if it is indeed the case that Natalee left Aruba alive, it is difficult to believe that no one in Aruba knows about it.
If Natalee left Aruba, it is also difficult to believe that the three suspects, Deepak, Satish and Joran are aware of this, because it is not logical that three youngsters who love to go out and enjoy life will sacrifice their freedom for so long, for a person they hardly knew.
What does make this matter very interesting is that this is not the first time that a possible Natalee Holloway pregnancy has been spoken about. There have been different versions circulating, where at one time it was spoken about a doctor who said to Natalee approached him about an abortion.
Another version says that Natalee is pregnant by a person very close to her mother, and that she will be giving birth in January and that after this, she will come forward to clear everything up.
Now there is the latest version which appears on a blog that says that when Natalee came to Aruba, she was 4 to 5 months pregnant. Like they say: where there’s smoke there’s fire.
Looking at how many times a possible pregnancy of Natalee Holloway has been mentioned, perhaps this is the truth. One thing is for sure, if this is true and Natalee came forward, this would be good news for Aruba in what relates to the boycott.
There is a big chance that Natalee Holloway was pregnant when she was in Aruba
DIARIO Aruba
12/16/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): Recently, on one of the ‘blogs’ on the Internet, where people around the world discuss the case of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, there was an interesting discussion about this case.
They started to discuss the reason that Natalee could have decided to disappear. Those on that blog, assumed for a moment that Natalee is not dead and that she decided to run away. According to the person who runs the blog, there are indications that Natalee was pregnant and under stress because of her pregnancy.
He/she said that if one compared a picture of Natalee when she went to the prom on the 3rd of May to the photo of Natalee when she was here in Aruba, one can see that she is around 10% heavier than when she was in the US.
This does not necessarily signify that she was pregnant, but the indications are strong that this was the case, and according to that person, the young American was between 4 and 5 months pregnant.
Another indication that she was pregnant is that Joran said that Natalee was hysterical when on the beach at the Marriott, which could be a sign that this is the case and because of this she wanted to remain on the beach and not go back to the Holiday Inn.
According to the person from the blog, it is very regrettable that Natalee’s family have done everything in their power so that no one can see the pictures of the students in the time they were in Aruba so that they cannot comment much on what they did in Aruba. He/she continues to say that there could be some of the students who know that Natalee was indeed expecting a child and by who.
The person continues to say that probably Natalee’s classmates could have helped her escape and get back to the US, in a hidden manner, due to the shame and scandal that it would be for Natalee and the father of her supposed child, when the families found out.
The question remains, how Natalee and her friends could have succeeded in getting Natalee out of Aruba, without the help of locals. Because if it is indeed the case that Natalee left Aruba alive, it is difficult to believe that no one in Aruba knows about it.
If Natalee left Aruba, it is also difficult to believe that the three suspects, Deepak, Satish and Joran are aware of this, because it is not logical that three youngsters who love to go out and enjoy life will sacrifice their freedom for so long, for a person they hardly knew.
What does make this matter very interesting is that this is not the first time that a possible Natalee Holloway pregnancy has been spoken about. There have been different versions circulating, where at one time it was spoken about a doctor who said to Natalee approached him about an abortion.
Another version says that Natalee is pregnant by a person very close to her mother, and that she will be giving birth in January and that after this, she will come forward to clear everything up.
Now there is the latest version which appears on a blog that says that when Natalee came to Aruba, she was 4 to 5 months pregnant. Like they say: where there’s smoke there’s fire.
Looking at how many times a possible pregnancy of Natalee Holloway has been mentioned, perhaps this is the truth. One thing is for sure, if this is true and Natalee came forward, this would be good news for Aruba in what relates to the boycott.
12.14.2005
Due to Minister’s reply being satisfactory
Investigative team will continue on Natalee’s case
DIARIO Aruba
12/14/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): After the police union explained their concerns related to the investigative team putting the case on hold, they now decided to continue on with the investigation.
It is known that the matter of justice getting involved [is valid] as long as it’s something serious. Any [conflict?] can cause much damage in any investigation, in particular when a person who is not qualified is involved in the matter, who was not involved in the interrogations or the investigation [to begin with].
Since the beginning, a way has been sought to push and pull, and make heads roll as if it was a chess game that they’re playing. While it deals with a very serious case, in particular the country of Aruba being at stake.
More still, when the steps are closely followed by people abroad. Recently, the government requested assistance from Minister of Justice David Dick, if the Aruban Public Prosecution could arrange to have the assistance Mr. Angela, an Aruban prosecutor that practices his profession in Curaçao.
They came to a good agreement and Mr. Angela traveled to Aruba apparently to reinforce the investigative team.
However, as days progressed, those in charge of the investigation said that he didn’t speak with them, he wasn’t in contact, and he took documents to read and study. While these actions which seem suspicious and reached the police union management. After having analyzed the situation, the union decided to stop the investigation and put it on hold so that the minister in charge could provide some clarity as to what prosecutor Angela is doing in Aruba.
Tuesday, a report came in that the union was notified that the prosecutor in question is analyzing the documents in order to give a ‘second opinion’.
On the basis of this report, they provided SPA representatives and finally the members of the team decided to resume the investigation, and this is now the second time that the team can’t concentrate due to interference. It is hoped that this will be the last time that a mandatory interferes with such an important investigation.
Investigative team will continue on Natalee’s case
DIARIO Aruba
12/14/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): After the police union explained their concerns related to the investigative team putting the case on hold, they now decided to continue on with the investigation.
It is known that the matter of justice getting involved [is valid] as long as it’s something serious. Any [conflict?] can cause much damage in any investigation, in particular when a person who is not qualified is involved in the matter, who was not involved in the interrogations or the investigation [to begin with].
Since the beginning, a way has been sought to push and pull, and make heads roll as if it was a chess game that they’re playing. While it deals with a very serious case, in particular the country of Aruba being at stake.
More still, when the steps are closely followed by people abroad. Recently, the government requested assistance from Minister of Justice David Dick, if the Aruban Public Prosecution could arrange to have the assistance Mr. Angela, an Aruban prosecutor that practices his profession in Curaçao.
They came to a good agreement and Mr. Angela traveled to Aruba apparently to reinforce the investigative team.
However, as days progressed, those in charge of the investigation said that he didn’t speak with them, he wasn’t in contact, and he took documents to read and study. While these actions which seem suspicious and reached the police union management. After having analyzed the situation, the union decided to stop the investigation and put it on hold so that the minister in charge could provide some clarity as to what prosecutor Angela is doing in Aruba.
Tuesday, a report came in that the union was notified that the prosecutor in question is analyzing the documents in order to give a ‘second opinion’.
On the basis of this report, they provided SPA representatives and finally the members of the team decided to resume the investigation, and this is now the second time that the team can’t concentrate due to interference. It is hoped that this will be the last time that a mandatory interferes with such an important investigation.
12.13.2005
Business life hardly notice a boycott
Amigoe
12/13/2005
ARUBA – A small, non-scientific founded investigation amongst people in several business sectors organized by the Chamber of Commerce gave the impression that the economic consequences of the Holloway-affaire are hardly noticeable for the business life outside the tourist sector.
The hotels do experience cancellations, but they do not want to attribute this to the aftermath of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. The hurricane season has also caused cancellations. There are some concerns though on the question whether the cancellation will be compensated with new reservations. The business life was optimistic about turnover increase in 2006. Edwin Roos, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce is of the opinion that the Strategic Communication Action Task Force that is in charge of the external communications on the Holloway-affaire, have to give more information. “They have already done something in that direction by appointing a spokesperson for the international media. We also have the website http://www.arubatruth.com, but we need a spokesperson for Aruba self; that would be nice”, said Roos. He continued saying that a boycott of Twitty does not contribute to anything.
Amigoe
12/13/2005
ARUBA – A small, non-scientific founded investigation amongst people in several business sectors organized by the Chamber of Commerce gave the impression that the economic consequences of the Holloway-affaire are hardly noticeable for the business life outside the tourist sector.
The hotels do experience cancellations, but they do not want to attribute this to the aftermath of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. The hurricane season has also caused cancellations. There are some concerns though on the question whether the cancellation will be compensated with new reservations. The business life was optimistic about turnover increase in 2006. Edwin Roos, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce is of the opinion that the Strategic Communication Action Task Force that is in charge of the external communications on the Holloway-affaire, have to give more information. “They have already done something in that direction by appointing a spokesperson for the international media. We also have the website http://www.arubatruth.com, but we need a spokesperson for Aruba self; that would be nice”, said Roos. He continued saying that a boycott of Twitty does not contribute to anything.
If a new investigative team comes in, it’ll take a lot of time for them to go over everything in the investigation
According to Eric Zaandam, in regards to Beth Twitty’s request which is madness
DIARIO Aruba
12/13/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): SPA president Eric Zaandam said that we have to be careful with the madness that Mrs. Twitty is requesting and saying, among others the fact that there has to be a new investigative team come in, in the case of the disappearance of her daughter.
This because his tactical and technical experience shows that if a new team comes in, they can’t obtain clarity In 6 months, to read all documents of what has happened in the case of Holloway.
It will take at least one year, in order to afterwards start with their investigation.
According to Zaandam, the time has come for the Public Prosecutor’s Office or the chief of police to start relating to the press what work has been done in this case and not do this in a global way, but to give specific information about what the investigative team has done.
Zaandam said that he was astounded when he saw the extensive work that the team has done, where they are investigating various different scenarios, in regards to the disappearance of the young American.
DIARIO asked Mr. Zaandam what is happening with the delegation that is thinking of going to the US, where he explained that attorney Arlene Schipper and Commissioner Dolfi Richardson will travel to Washington next week, for them to speak with an American senator, to give information about the case.
According to Zaandam, as long as this case is not solved, American show producers will continue to look for strategies to come up with bombs for Aruba.
According to Eric Zaandam, in regards to Beth Twitty’s request which is madness
DIARIO Aruba
12/13/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): SPA president Eric Zaandam said that we have to be careful with the madness that Mrs. Twitty is requesting and saying, among others the fact that there has to be a new investigative team come in, in the case of the disappearance of her daughter.
This because his tactical and technical experience shows that if a new team comes in, they can’t obtain clarity In 6 months, to read all documents of what has happened in the case of Holloway.
It will take at least one year, in order to afterwards start with their investigation.
According to Zaandam, the time has come for the Public Prosecutor’s Office or the chief of police to start relating to the press what work has been done in this case and not do this in a global way, but to give specific information about what the investigative team has done.
Zaandam said that he was astounded when he saw the extensive work that the team has done, where they are investigating various different scenarios, in regards to the disappearance of the young American.
DIARIO asked Mr. Zaandam what is happening with the delegation that is thinking of going to the US, where he explained that attorney Arlene Schipper and Commissioner Dolfi Richardson will travel to Washington next week, for them to speak with an American senator, to give information about the case.
According to Zaandam, as long as this case is not solved, American show producers will continue to look for strategies to come up with bombs for Aruba.
Police Union president confirms that
Holloway case investigation has officially stopped
Until the government explains what exactly the role of the new prosecutor will be
DIARIO Aruba
12/13/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Monday, the police union (SPA) held a press conference to clear up certain matters that are still pending with the police force. According to SPA president Eric Zaandam, there are some things that are going in a troublesome route and because of this he felt it would be good to hold a press conference.
According to Zaandam, he noted that letters that were sent to the police force, to indicate that certain persons cannot speak with the press anymore, etc. Also, in the Public Prosecutor’s Office, certain people cannot speak to the press, which makes everything fall upon the police force, on its employees.
According to the SPA president, it is now enough and they have to explain to the press what is taking place, so that the press can see what is going on.
Zaandam said that he wants to elaborate on the matter of Commissioner Dompig, where he has been prohibited from speaking to the press and that the Minister of Justice said that Dompig speaks too much with the press and because of this he has forbidden him from doing so.
According to Zaandam, 2 months ago Dompig was approached by AHATA’s CEO, who is a member of the Communications Task Force, Jorge Pesquera, to become spokesperson of the task force.
The reason was that a few consultancy companies in the US showed that the message on the part of Aruba was not reaching in a clear and strong manner internationally using the spokespersons that they were using.
The consultancy companies counseled the Task Force to get a person who knows the legal process and knows about investigations in Aruba and so they decided to approach Dompig to do this.
The arrangement for Dompig’s interviews was that all questions that were to be asked of Dompig, among others for the magazine ‘Vanity Fair’, were first screened by the consultancy companies so that Commissioner Dompig could give the appropriate answers. All this took place according rules and wording, with the Prime Minister’s knowledge who gave the OK for this.
Now that everything has come out in Vanity Fair and that the American producers have come out with another strategy to attack Aruba, all of a sudden Dompig has become a person who speaks too much.
The Minister of Justice came into the game, as if there was no communication between the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, and now all the press knows that the Minister of Justice prohibited Commissioner Dompig from speaking.
These dirty games are unacceptable, according to Zaadam, who said that, for example, no one from the Task Force has come forward to say that they gave Commissioner Dompig the OK themselves, and that they have screened everything and that all was done in a correct manner.
The Prime Minister also can come forward to say that the Minister of Justice was at fault for prohibiting Dompig from speaking. This, according to Zaandam, who said that he wants to bring this type of thing forward to show how the police is being played by all other institutions.
All these games are for one sole objective that is unacceptable for the police, where for example prosecutor Karen Janssen was also prohibited to speak. After some time, now the Minister of Justice has expressed that prosecutor Angela from Curaçao has come to Aruba to conduct an investigation of the team of investigators.
According to the SPA president, Angela has come to Aruba to do this and not to assist in the investigation. This cannot be, according to Zaandam, who said that there can never be and investigation in an investigation.
After that SPA met with the team of investigators, they agreed that they are going to have everything on hold, until they are able to find out exactly what prosecutor Angela has come to do in Aruba. When they asked chief prosecutor Karen Janssen what prosecutor Angela came to do in Aruba, she said that she doesn’t know, that it’s something she can’t.
Prosecutor Angela hasn’t been in contact with the investigative team either, about for example, certain documents that he has related to the case, to see in detail what is taking place.
According to Zaandam, prosecutor Angela is sitting in an office at the Attorney General’s, is looking at the investigation files, which is something that cannot take place, and because of this they have stopped the investigation of the case, temporarily. Zaandam said that he realizes that this is a very troublesome decision, but it will be taken until they find more clarity about this.
He continued to say that now the American Senate has asked for more information on the case of Holloway and the intention of the government to send Arlene Schipper and Commissioner Dolfi Richardson to Washington.
Zaandam said that this is after three Commissioners that they added to the investigation of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. This way people’s attention is diverted.
This, according to the SPA president, who said that it is a public secret that there is a problem between the Attorney General and chief prosecutor Karen Janssen, and this is just something that cannot go on in the police force. According to Zaandam, he wants to avoid any division within the police force, that they government and others are trying to create.
First there was the supposed clash between Commissioner van der Straten and Commissioner Dompig, where van der Straten retired and things calmed down. Now Dompig took over the case, where they involved Dolfi Richardson in the game, to see if there was a clash.
SPA advised the two Commissioners that there is no clash in the police force and they expressed together that they are behind the investigative team, that they are together in this and that they speak together in respect to the team and the case. It is clear that if there is a separate power who wants to divide this team, they can forget about it.
According to Zaandam, the investigative team is doing a tremendous job and this has also been expressed by the Dutch colleagues, who were also in Aruba for the investigation.
These Dutch experts expressed in an FBI magazine that they could not have done a better job than the Aruban investigative team, however the Minister of Justice indicated that there will be an investigation of the investigative team, on the part of prosecutor Angela (whom he has respect for, according to Zaandam), who has barely 2 years as prosecutor, compared to the 15/16 years of experience of the prosecution’s office.
According to Zaandam, it’s best if they brought a prosecutor or expert from Holland, for example, who has a lit of experience in this area, for them to come do their investigation.
Zaandam said that the police of Aruba even listened to the FBI agents in Aruba speaking to their superiors in the US, saying what a good job the Aruban investigators are doing and do with the resources they have.
Holloway case investigation has officially stopped
Until the government explains what exactly the role of the new prosecutor will be
DIARIO Aruba
12/13/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Monday, the police union (SPA) held a press conference to clear up certain matters that are still pending with the police force. According to SPA president Eric Zaandam, there are some things that are going in a troublesome route and because of this he felt it would be good to hold a press conference.
According to Zaandam, he noted that letters that were sent to the police force, to indicate that certain persons cannot speak with the press anymore, etc. Also, in the Public Prosecutor’s Office, certain people cannot speak to the press, which makes everything fall upon the police force, on its employees.
According to the SPA president, it is now enough and they have to explain to the press what is taking place, so that the press can see what is going on.
Zaandam said that he wants to elaborate on the matter of Commissioner Dompig, where he has been prohibited from speaking to the press and that the Minister of Justice said that Dompig speaks too much with the press and because of this he has forbidden him from doing so.
According to Zaandam, 2 months ago Dompig was approached by AHATA’s CEO, who is a member of the Communications Task Force, Jorge Pesquera, to become spokesperson of the task force.
The reason was that a few consultancy companies in the US showed that the message on the part of Aruba was not reaching in a clear and strong manner internationally using the spokespersons that they were using.
The consultancy companies counseled the Task Force to get a person who knows the legal process and knows about investigations in Aruba and so they decided to approach Dompig to do this.
The arrangement for Dompig’s interviews was that all questions that were to be asked of Dompig, among others for the magazine ‘Vanity Fair’, were first screened by the consultancy companies so that Commissioner Dompig could give the appropriate answers. All this took place according rules and wording, with the Prime Minister’s knowledge who gave the OK for this.
Now that everything has come out in Vanity Fair and that the American producers have come out with another strategy to attack Aruba, all of a sudden Dompig has become a person who speaks too much.
The Minister of Justice came into the game, as if there was no communication between the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, and now all the press knows that the Minister of Justice prohibited Commissioner Dompig from speaking.
These dirty games are unacceptable, according to Zaadam, who said that, for example, no one from the Task Force has come forward to say that they gave Commissioner Dompig the OK themselves, and that they have screened everything and that all was done in a correct manner.
The Prime Minister also can come forward to say that the Minister of Justice was at fault for prohibiting Dompig from speaking. This, according to Zaandam, who said that he wants to bring this type of thing forward to show how the police is being played by all other institutions.
All these games are for one sole objective that is unacceptable for the police, where for example prosecutor Karen Janssen was also prohibited to speak. After some time, now the Minister of Justice has expressed that prosecutor Angela from Curaçao has come to Aruba to conduct an investigation of the team of investigators.
According to the SPA president, Angela has come to Aruba to do this and not to assist in the investigation. This cannot be, according to Zaandam, who said that there can never be and investigation in an investigation.
After that SPA met with the team of investigators, they agreed that they are going to have everything on hold, until they are able to find out exactly what prosecutor Angela has come to do in Aruba. When they asked chief prosecutor Karen Janssen what prosecutor Angela came to do in Aruba, she said that she doesn’t know, that it’s something she can’t.
Prosecutor Angela hasn’t been in contact with the investigative team either, about for example, certain documents that he has related to the case, to see in detail what is taking place.
According to Zaandam, prosecutor Angela is sitting in an office at the Attorney General’s, is looking at the investigation files, which is something that cannot take place, and because of this they have stopped the investigation of the case, temporarily. Zaandam said that he realizes that this is a very troublesome decision, but it will be taken until they find more clarity about this.
He continued to say that now the American Senate has asked for more information on the case of Holloway and the intention of the government to send Arlene Schipper and Commissioner Dolfi Richardson to Washington.
Zaandam said that this is after three Commissioners that they added to the investigation of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. This way people’s attention is diverted.
This, according to the SPA president, who said that it is a public secret that there is a problem between the Attorney General and chief prosecutor Karen Janssen, and this is just something that cannot go on in the police force. According to Zaandam, he wants to avoid any division within the police force, that they government and others are trying to create.
First there was the supposed clash between Commissioner van der Straten and Commissioner Dompig, where van der Straten retired and things calmed down. Now Dompig took over the case, where they involved Dolfi Richardson in the game, to see if there was a clash.
SPA advised the two Commissioners that there is no clash in the police force and they expressed together that they are behind the investigative team, that they are together in this and that they speak together in respect to the team and the case. It is clear that if there is a separate power who wants to divide this team, they can forget about it.
According to Zaandam, the investigative team is doing a tremendous job and this has also been expressed by the Dutch colleagues, who were also in Aruba for the investigation.
These Dutch experts expressed in an FBI magazine that they could not have done a better job than the Aruban investigative team, however the Minister of Justice indicated that there will be an investigation of the investigative team, on the part of prosecutor Angela (whom he has respect for, according to Zaandam), who has barely 2 years as prosecutor, compared to the 15/16 years of experience of the prosecution’s office.
According to Zaandam, it’s best if they brought a prosecutor or expert from Holland, for example, who has a lit of experience in this area, for them to come do their investigation.
Zaandam said that the police of Aruba even listened to the FBI agents in Aruba speaking to their superiors in the US, saying what a good job the Aruban investigators are doing and do with the resources they have.
12.12.2005
Bob Riley’s wide [sic] condemns Aruba
Amigoe
12/12/2005
ARUBA – Patsy Riley, the wife of the governor of Alabama, pledged to keep supporting the family of the missing Natalee Holloway for ever. “Realizing that a country turns her back on you”, said Riley crying. “The residents of Alabama will never turn their back on you.”
She said this during a prayer service for missing children in their home in Montgomery, Alabama last Thursday evening. Of course, the mother of Natalee Holloway Beth Twitty, her husband Jug Twitty, and a whole lot of friends of Holloway from Mountain Brook, where the Twitty’s live were there. The service was also attended by families of four other missing children. One of these families said that the service was more dedicated to Holloway, but that it didn’t matter, because the service was also for them very consolatory.
Currently, there are around 40 children and young adults missing in Alabama. “Another country is involved in Natalee’s case, which makes it a different crisis.” The collection during the service was for the Holloway family. In October of this year, the governor of Alabama made an appeal to boycott Aruba. He thought that the governors of the remaining 49 states would follow his example, but up till now, only the governor of Arkansas answered his appeal.
Amigoe
12/12/2005
ARUBA – Patsy Riley, the wife of the governor of Alabama, pledged to keep supporting the family of the missing Natalee Holloway for ever. “Realizing that a country turns her back on you”, said Riley crying. “The residents of Alabama will never turn their back on you.”
She said this during a prayer service for missing children in their home in Montgomery, Alabama last Thursday evening. Of course, the mother of Natalee Holloway Beth Twitty, her husband Jug Twitty, and a whole lot of friends of Holloway from Mountain Brook, where the Twitty’s live were there. The service was also attended by families of four other missing children. One of these families said that the service was more dedicated to Holloway, but that it didn’t matter, because the service was also for them very consolatory.
Currently, there are around 40 children and young adults missing in Alabama. “Another country is involved in Natalee’s case, which makes it a different crisis.” The collection during the service was for the Holloway family. In October of this year, the governor of Alabama made an appeal to boycott Aruba. He thought that the governors of the remaining 49 states would follow his example, but up till now, only the governor of Arkansas answered his appeal.
12.09.2005
Writ against public speaking for chief of police Dompig
Amigoe
12/09/2005
ARUBA – Chief of police, Gerold Dompig, who is in charge of the investigation on the missing Natalee Holloway, is no longer allowed to speak to the media. Justice-minister Rudy Croes has sent him a written order.
The letter came shortly after it became public that Dompig had given a interview to the American magazine Vanity Fair. He told the magazine that the family Holloway / Twitty had obstructed the investigation from the beginning. Consequence to this article, Beth Twitty is again being interviewed in several American TV-shows. She said in The Early Show on CBS that it is very difficult for her to even react on the suggestion. “Everybody knows that we have always respected the Dutch judicial system and we have collaborated with them, until it became very disadvantageous for Natalee. That’s when it became necessary for us to seek help.” Dompig talks too much. Recently, he told the Amigoe how the investigation team was busy doing a profile investigation. Attention is not being focused on the possible suspects here, but the victim. By profiling the victim, the police can figure out what type of people would approach her. “From this investigation it appeared that Natalee was not at all the exceptional person that her family made us believe. During her stay in Aruba, she was a party animal and consumed a lot of alcohol. She most probably used drugs and offered this to others. It appeared that Natalee was even after Joran van der Sloot. He didn’t need much persuasiveness to get her.” According to Dompig, there are three new analysts investigating the case. They read the file and ask questions. “Important is not to be blind.”
Amigoe
12/09/2005
ARUBA – Chief of police, Gerold Dompig, who is in charge of the investigation on the missing Natalee Holloway, is no longer allowed to speak to the media. Justice-minister Rudy Croes has sent him a written order.
The letter came shortly after it became public that Dompig had given a interview to the American magazine Vanity Fair. He told the magazine that the family Holloway / Twitty had obstructed the investigation from the beginning. Consequence to this article, Beth Twitty is again being interviewed in several American TV-shows. She said in The Early Show on CBS that it is very difficult for her to even react on the suggestion. “Everybody knows that we have always respected the Dutch judicial system and we have collaborated with them, until it became very disadvantageous for Natalee. That’s when it became necessary for us to seek help.” Dompig talks too much. Recently, he told the Amigoe how the investigation team was busy doing a profile investigation. Attention is not being focused on the possible suspects here, but the victim. By profiling the victim, the police can figure out what type of people would approach her. “From this investigation it appeared that Natalee was not at all the exceptional person that her family made us believe. During her stay in Aruba, she was a party animal and consumed a lot of alcohol. She most probably used drugs and offered this to others. It appeared that Natalee was even after Joran van der Sloot. He didn’t need much persuasiveness to get her.” According to Dompig, there are three new analysts investigating the case. They read the file and ask questions. “Important is not to be blind.”
Public Prosecutor reacts to the Amigoe article
PG: Publications do not square with the truth
DIARIO Aruba
12/09/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Thursday, the Public Prosecutor sent a press release to all media, related to an article that appeared in the Amigoe newspaper, where it was published the Attorney General is involved in ongoing cases.
The release says the following: About the level of handling, the Public Prosecutor has decided that it is only the information department of the Public Prosecution that will maintain contact with the press and give information about penal cases.
This is done specifically so that the prosecutor can concentrate only on the investigation and also because in a small community, it is important for the prosecutor to remain outside the light cast by the media.
The information department is equipped with qualified people in the area of information and communications. All workers have to leave them to this handling.
In Holland, all prosecutors have to have them in the handling which was stipulated and it is not tolerated that prosecutors do not do this and do whatever they want. The AG is not involved in cases.
It is not true that the AG involved herself in cases that are ongoing. The AG did not ‘dismiss’ any case either. The AG does not have the authority to do so, only the prosecutor.
The AG does not permit any person or institution to influence the decision of the prosecutor. The AG was not involved in the decision in the cases of two suspects of the governing board office.
The AG does not involve herself in the decisions of the prosecutor, for cases. The AG demands that there is handling of this, and that all prosecutors use the same criteria when taking decisions in penal cases, which now is not the case.
The AG regrets that things that are not true are said about the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The AG emphasizes at all times that all members of the Public Prosecution’s office have to speak the truth at always, because the citizens have placed their trust in them.
What the AG is trying to do, is to make the Public Prosecution Office a well-organized and professional institution. The AG had encountered a Public Prosecution’s Office that is not organized.
When the AG assumed her work, she met a Public Prosecution’s office that was disorganized, where there was no supervision of the work performed by prosecutors, where it was not known how many cases entered, what type of cases these where, and what happened to this cases.
There was never a management plan, where all souls were working on the same yearly summary of four or five pages, where case dossiers were disappearing without anyone knowing where they went.
Cases remained dormant to later be dismissed, because time had elapsed. Work procedures were not fixed and almost no work rules existed for prosecutors.
On this side there was a number of instances where authorities were to conduct a penal investigation and that they wanted to do this, but they were frustrated by disappointing experiences with the Public Prosecution. The citizen complained that he made the complaint and heard nothing else.
The AG is working along with many other good workers of the Public Prosecution’s Office, who have the same objectives ahead of them, to fix all these matters that according to the AG cannot go on in an institution as important as the Public Prosecution’s Office.
The guide for this is the law and what the law prescribes. According to the law, the AG is at the head of the Public Prosecution’s Office and is also responsible for what the prosecutors do in the first instance.
Related to these responsibilities, the AG cannot permit not to work according to the law, saying that the law has to be applied in a creative and flexible way. Examples of bad use of power.
An example of bad use of power is when permission is given to detain a person for a punishable offense, with the objective to interrogate for another punishable offense.
Another example is when dossiers of a case end up (missing?) and after a lot of searching it comes out that the person is responsible is from the Public Prosecution’s Office.
When you let a case dossier be destroyed, along with a sentence card, this is also a bad use o power. Bad use of power is also when the decision of the judge changes and the sentence that the judge imposes is reduced. As boss of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the AG will never permit such practices.
Lastly, the release says that the AG was selected as ‘Woman of the Year’ in the newspaper The News in the year 1998 and in the newspaper DIARIO in 2003. The selection of the newspaper DIARIO was principally because the AG instituted an information department at the Public Prosecution’s Office.
In response to yesterday's Amigo article:
ARUBA – Justice-minister Rudy Croes (MEP) gave the public prosecutor
(OM) till December 17th the time to solve the internal problems. The
conflict between chief district attorney Karin Janssen and Attorney
General Theresa Croes-Fernandes Perna has been going on for six months
already. The minister is now threatening with taking measures against the
chief district attorney, because the Attorney General (PG) is her
superior.
One of the reasons for the conflict is the way the media was
informed in the Holloway-case. Janssen, who is a media-officer in the
Netherlands, is of the opinion that it was not professionally done. The
conflict escalated when Janssen was interviewed by the Nova. The OM then sent
Janssen’s cellular telephone number to all the local and international
media that was present. “Now that she has spoken to one journalist, she
might as well speak to all of them”, said OM-media information official
Mariaine Croes, daughter of the Attorney General. At that moment,
Janssen was up to her ears in the investigation on the disappeared Natalee
Holloway and got in trouble because of this. It was decided shortly
after that the OM would only give written information on this case. Another
reason for the conflict is that Janssen is of the opinion that the
Attorney General is too much involved with current investigations instead
of working on policy level. She resents at the PG interfering
with the case of two suspicious MEP-supporters that made anonymous
threats by phone from the Government office. The PG dismissed this case
without consulting Janssen. Former chief of police, Jan van der Straten
also clashed with minister Croes about this.
PG: Publications do not square with the truth
DIARIO Aruba
12/09/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Thursday, the Public Prosecutor sent a press release to all media, related to an article that appeared in the Amigoe newspaper, where it was published the Attorney General is involved in ongoing cases.
The release says the following: About the level of handling, the Public Prosecutor has decided that it is only the information department of the Public Prosecution that will maintain contact with the press and give information about penal cases.
This is done specifically so that the prosecutor can concentrate only on the investigation and also because in a small community, it is important for the prosecutor to remain outside the light cast by the media.
The information department is equipped with qualified people in the area of information and communications. All workers have to leave them to this handling.
In Holland, all prosecutors have to have them in the handling which was stipulated and it is not tolerated that prosecutors do not do this and do whatever they want. The AG is not involved in cases.
It is not true that the AG involved herself in cases that are ongoing. The AG did not ‘dismiss’ any case either. The AG does not have the authority to do so, only the prosecutor.
The AG does not permit any person or institution to influence the decision of the prosecutor. The AG was not involved in the decision in the cases of two suspects of the governing board office.
The AG does not involve herself in the decisions of the prosecutor, for cases. The AG demands that there is handling of this, and that all prosecutors use the same criteria when taking decisions in penal cases, which now is not the case.
The AG regrets that things that are not true are said about the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The AG emphasizes at all times that all members of the Public Prosecution’s office have to speak the truth at always, because the citizens have placed their trust in them.
What the AG is trying to do, is to make the Public Prosecution Office a well-organized and professional institution. The AG had encountered a Public Prosecution’s Office that is not organized.
When the AG assumed her work, she met a Public Prosecution’s office that was disorganized, where there was no supervision of the work performed by prosecutors, where it was not known how many cases entered, what type of cases these where, and what happened to this cases.
There was never a management plan, where all souls were working on the same yearly summary of four or five pages, where case dossiers were disappearing without anyone knowing where they went.
Cases remained dormant to later be dismissed, because time had elapsed. Work procedures were not fixed and almost no work rules existed for prosecutors.
On this side there was a number of instances where authorities were to conduct a penal investigation and that they wanted to do this, but they were frustrated by disappointing experiences with the Public Prosecution. The citizen complained that he made the complaint and heard nothing else.
The AG is working along with many other good workers of the Public Prosecution’s Office, who have the same objectives ahead of them, to fix all these matters that according to the AG cannot go on in an institution as important as the Public Prosecution’s Office.
The guide for this is the law and what the law prescribes. According to the law, the AG is at the head of the Public Prosecution’s Office and is also responsible for what the prosecutors do in the first instance.
Related to these responsibilities, the AG cannot permit not to work according to the law, saying that the law has to be applied in a creative and flexible way. Examples of bad use of power.
An example of bad use of power is when permission is given to detain a person for a punishable offense, with the objective to interrogate for another punishable offense.
Another example is when dossiers of a case end up (missing?) and after a lot of searching it comes out that the person is responsible is from the Public Prosecution’s Office.
When you let a case dossier be destroyed, along with a sentence card, this is also a bad use o power. Bad use of power is also when the decision of the judge changes and the sentence that the judge imposes is reduced. As boss of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the AG will never permit such practices.
Lastly, the release says that the AG was selected as ‘Woman of the Year’ in the newspaper The News in the year 1998 and in the newspaper DIARIO in 2003. The selection of the newspaper DIARIO was principally because the AG instituted an information department at the Public Prosecution’s Office.
In response to yesterday's Amigo article:
ARUBA – Justice-minister Rudy Croes (MEP) gave the public prosecutor
(OM) till December 17th the time to solve the internal problems. The
conflict between chief district attorney Karin Janssen and Attorney
General Theresa Croes-Fernandes Perna has been going on for six months
already. The minister is now threatening with taking measures against the
chief district attorney, because the Attorney General (PG) is her
superior.
One of the reasons for the conflict is the way the media was
informed in the Holloway-case. Janssen, who is a media-officer in the
Netherlands, is of the opinion that it was not professionally done. The
conflict escalated when Janssen was interviewed by the Nova. The OM then sent
Janssen’s cellular telephone number to all the local and international
media that was present. “Now that she has spoken to one journalist, she
might as well speak to all of them”, said OM-media information official
Mariaine Croes, daughter of the Attorney General. At that moment,
Janssen was up to her ears in the investigation on the disappeared Natalee
Holloway and got in trouble because of this. It was decided shortly
after that the OM would only give written information on this case. Another
reason for the conflict is that Janssen is of the opinion that the
Attorney General is too much involved with current investigations instead
of working on policy level. She resents at the PG interfering
with the case of two suspicious MEP-supporters that made anonymous
threats by phone from the Government office. The PG dismissed this case
without consulting Janssen. Former chief of police, Jan van der Straten
also clashed with minister Croes about this.
12.08.2005
It could have something to do with his declaration on Vanity Fair magazine
Minister Rudy Croes forbids commissioner Gerold Dompig from speaking to the media
This despite that he was appointed to speak by the Strategic Commission
Bon Dia Aruba
12/08/2005
ORANJESTAD – Commissioner Gerold Dompig has been forbidden to speak to the press. It is Bon Dia Aruba’s understanding that it happened this week. It has been only a day since this daily has spoken to the Minister of Justice Rudy Croes, who indicated that certain people speak a lot to the press and that this must come to a stop. On this occasion, he made mention of among others, chief prosecutor Karin Janssen. But now it results that commissioner Dompig is also one of those who was ordered to shut his mouth when it comes to dealing with the press. This despite that the commissioner was one of the ones appointed by the Strategic Committee to take the word. With the arrival of Steve Cohen, this could change?
VANITY FAIR
The fact is that only a few days after the Vanity Fair article was published on the case of Natalee Holloway, where Gerold Dompig made certain very skerpi[?] declarations on the manner in which the investigation was going. There are indications that this did not fall well with Minister Croes who called the attention of the police chief who in turn sent a letter to commissioner Dompig informing him that effective immediately, he is not permitted to speak to the press anymore.
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
It is Bon Dia Aruba’s understanding that this point could bring about negative consequences for Aruba as well, in the sense that the international media can interpret this as an act of censorship on the part of the Aruba government and the police corps. Especially since it has only been some days that the magazine published its electronic edition. The Vanity Fair edition will arrive on the market this week for part of America and next week for all of America. And already there are measures taken for Dompig.
Minister Rudy Croes forbids commissioner Gerold Dompig from speaking to the media
This despite that he was appointed to speak by the Strategic Commission
Bon Dia Aruba
12/08/2005
ORANJESTAD – Commissioner Gerold Dompig has been forbidden to speak to the press. It is Bon Dia Aruba’s understanding that it happened this week. It has been only a day since this daily has spoken to the Minister of Justice Rudy Croes, who indicated that certain people speak a lot to the press and that this must come to a stop. On this occasion, he made mention of among others, chief prosecutor Karin Janssen. But now it results that commissioner Dompig is also one of those who was ordered to shut his mouth when it comes to dealing with the press. This despite that the commissioner was one of the ones appointed by the Strategic Committee to take the word. With the arrival of Steve Cohen, this could change?
VANITY FAIR
The fact is that only a few days after the Vanity Fair article was published on the case of Natalee Holloway, where Gerold Dompig made certain very skerpi[?] declarations on the manner in which the investigation was going. There are indications that this did not fall well with Minister Croes who called the attention of the police chief who in turn sent a letter to commissioner Dompig informing him that effective immediately, he is not permitted to speak to the press anymore.
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
It is Bon Dia Aruba’s understanding that this point could bring about negative consequences for Aruba as well, in the sense that the international media can interpret this as an act of censorship on the part of the Aruba government and the police corps. Especially since it has only been some days that the magazine published its electronic edition. The Vanity Fair edition will arrive on the market this week for part of America and next week for all of America. And already there are measures taken for Dompig.
At the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino
AHATA President and CEO Jorge Pesquera addresses general assembly
DIARIO Aruba
12/08/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN) – At the recent AHATA General Assembly, the president and CEO if the association addressed the assembly. ‘We mean business’, he said when he called a welcome to the members of the association, members of parliament and leaders of the community.
Tourism is the heart and soul of Aruba, he reiterated, and worries everyone profoundly. With a new management team and a strong membership base, AHATA called for a welcome of the new year with much satisfaction for the past achievements and an anticipation of even better things that will come.
According to Pesquera, the coming year will be marked by challenges in respect to airlines and a lot of competition by the surrounding islands. This deals with consumer confidence that waivers due to a weak American economy, high cost of heating, bird flu fears and passport requirements to travel to the Caribbean.
Aside the challenges, Pesquera looked at past and present achievements; he cited two companies that were recently recruited to lend their expertise to Aruba: La Cure and USDM. Both are positioned to become strong contributors in the general category of marketing.
New advertising, a new web site, as well as the destination revision by the conference planners, Aruba’s future is bright, declared Pesquera.
During the last six months, as a result of the disappearance of Holloway, AHATA reacted rapidly and effectively, he explained, by creating the Strategic Communications Task Force, recruiting the NGO’s, exerting media control in America, launching www.arubatruth.com , nurturing relationships with the community and diverting the Dr. Phil boycott in Philadelphia and contracting spokesperson Steve Cohen to work on behalf of the island.
The other aspect of ‘We really mean business’ includes training, education and acknowledgement, three important aspects that AHATA is promoting by hosting international speakers, such as Prof. Chekitan Dev and by continuing with a fruitful consortium with the University of Aruba and Dr. Ryan Peterson.
AHATA President and CEO Jorge Pesquera addresses general assembly
DIARIO Aruba
12/08/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN) – At the recent AHATA General Assembly, the president and CEO if the association addressed the assembly. ‘We mean business’, he said when he called a welcome to the members of the association, members of parliament and leaders of the community.
Tourism is the heart and soul of Aruba, he reiterated, and worries everyone profoundly. With a new management team and a strong membership base, AHATA called for a welcome of the new year with much satisfaction for the past achievements and an anticipation of even better things that will come.
According to Pesquera, the coming year will be marked by challenges in respect to airlines and a lot of competition by the surrounding islands. This deals with consumer confidence that waivers due to a weak American economy, high cost of heating, bird flu fears and passport requirements to travel to the Caribbean.
Aside the challenges, Pesquera looked at past and present achievements; he cited two companies that were recently recruited to lend their expertise to Aruba: La Cure and USDM. Both are positioned to become strong contributors in the general category of marketing.
New advertising, a new web site, as well as the destination revision by the conference planners, Aruba’s future is bright, declared Pesquera.
During the last six months, as a result of the disappearance of Holloway, AHATA reacted rapidly and effectively, he explained, by creating the Strategic Communications Task Force, recruiting the NGO’s, exerting media control in America, launching www.arubatruth.com , nurturing relationships with the community and diverting the Dr. Phil boycott in Philadelphia and contracting spokesperson Steve Cohen to work on behalf of the island.
The other aspect of ‘We really mean business’ includes training, education and acknowledgement, three important aspects that AHATA is promoting by hosting international speakers, such as Prof. Chekitan Dev and by continuing with a fruitful consortium with the University of Aruba and Dr. Ryan Peterson.
Dave Holloway also asks Mississippi for Aruba boycott
DIARIO Aruba
12/08/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Another family member of Natalee Holloway, who in Aruba has always been regarded as one of the ‘most reasonable’ to discuss with, Dave Holloway, on Wednesday declared that he started urging the Governor of Mississippi to join the travel boycott against Aruba.
Dave Holloway is Natalee’s biological father, and is from Meridian, a town in Mississippi. He is urging Governor Haley Barbour to join in the boycott that has been called by those in Alabama and Arkansas.
A spokesman let it be known that the Governor of Mississippi hasn’t had time to consider the boycott, because the Governor is very busy related to the consequences of Hurricane Katrina in his state, but that he will check into the matter.
DIARIO Aruba
12/08/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Another family member of Natalee Holloway, who in Aruba has always been regarded as one of the ‘most reasonable’ to discuss with, Dave Holloway, on Wednesday declared that he started urging the Governor of Mississippi to join the travel boycott against Aruba.
Dave Holloway is Natalee’s biological father, and is from Meridian, a town in Mississippi. He is urging Governor Haley Barbour to join in the boycott that has been called by those in Alabama and Arkansas.
A spokesman let it be known that the Governor of Mississippi hasn’t had time to consider the boycott, because the Governor is very busy related to the consequences of Hurricane Katrina in his state, but that he will check into the matter.
Minister Rudy Croes brings in Aruba Attorney from Curaçao
A.M. Digital
12/08/2005
“We have managed to convince a tremendous Attorney in Curaçao to come to Aruba and help us in the case of Natalee Holloway, and especially to find out if and where mistakes could have been made. Attorney Angela is Aruba born and is presently stationed in Curaçao” confirmed Minister of Justice Rudy Croes.
Angela already received all documents and the intentions were to have him work from one of the offices of the Public Prosecutor however, Minister Croes prevented this from happening and instructed to provide the attorney with a private office where he could work without any outside influence in order for him to function totally independent.
“I must ask those that like to talk a lot to stop doing that and leave the talking to those authorized” said Minister Croes but he did not mention who he was referring to.
The Justice Executive admitted that many times he heard certain individuals airing nonsense on the “radar” (we guess he meant “radio”) but he did not wish to point the finger at anybody.
In the meantime it seems that the situation is still tense in the Public Prosecutor’s office. Although Minister Croes stipulated a time frame in which he expected everything to be resolved, this did not happen. The Minister of Justice again admitted not to be pleased with the situation and said that by the end of this month a decision will be made on how to solve the situation in the Public Prosecutor’s office. Somebody has to go?
A.M. Digital
12/08/2005
“We have managed to convince a tremendous Attorney in Curaçao to come to Aruba and help us in the case of Natalee Holloway, and especially to find out if and where mistakes could have been made. Attorney Angela is Aruba born and is presently stationed in Curaçao” confirmed Minister of Justice Rudy Croes.
Angela already received all documents and the intentions were to have him work from one of the offices of the Public Prosecutor however, Minister Croes prevented this from happening and instructed to provide the attorney with a private office where he could work without any outside influence in order for him to function totally independent.
“I must ask those that like to talk a lot to stop doing that and leave the talking to those authorized” said Minister Croes but he did not mention who he was referring to.
The Justice Executive admitted that many times he heard certain individuals airing nonsense on the “radar” (we guess he meant “radio”) but he did not wish to point the finger at anybody.
In the meantime it seems that the situation is still tense in the Public Prosecutor’s office. Although Minister Croes stipulated a time frame in which he expected everything to be resolved, this did not happen. The Minister of Justice again admitted not to be pleased with the situation and said that by the end of this month a decision will be made on how to solve the situation in the Public Prosecutor’s office. Somebody has to go?
12.07.2005
If by the 17 of December there’s no solution, Minister will take measures
Internal problems at the Public Prosecutor’s have to be solved soon
“Chief prosecutor (Jansen) has to know that she has an AG ahead of her” – Minister Rudy Croes
Bon Dia Aruba
12/07/2005
ORANJESTAD – Chief Prosecutor Karen Jansen has to know that there is a general attorney and an AG ahead of her. Everything has to do with rank. Minister Rudy Croes gave the Public Prosecution personnel until the 17 of December to solve the internal problems they have. Here he confirmed that there is still a problem at the Public Prosecution where there are certain persons who are looking for problems by undermining the authority of their boss.
He made specific mention of the chief prosecutor who has a problem with the AG. The mandatory said that he is aware of the situation. He is not happy with how things are going in the department and that after the 17 of this month, a decision will be taken of what measures to takle
PROSECUTOR ANGELA
As first confirmed by Bon Dia Aruba some weeks back, Minister Rudy Croes spoke about the arrival of prosecutor Angela from Curacao, who is a respected Aruban in his field of work. His objective will be to conduct an independent investigation of the case of Natalee Holloway. However he will not be located at the Public Prosecution. The mandatory demonstrated that he doesn’t want for prosecutor Angela to be influenced by the Public Prosecution and as such, he will be given all the information for him to work on during his stay here in Aruba. Here he will be able to do work completely independently.
TALK A LOT
The work of the prosecutor will be to help with the investigation and solve this, and where things went badly, to solve this to avoid these from happening again in the future. The mandatory sent a strong signal for those who are talking too much, for them to stop talking a little and let the authorized people speak. According to the mandatory, a few times he has heard people speak nonsense on television.
LINE OF COMMAND
He spoke of a letter that he sent to all departments where they have to follow the line of command. If you a boss, you have to follow the line. If you show a lack of respect for your boss, the Minister cannot accept this from any government department, less still from the Public Prosecution.
Internal problems at the Public Prosecutor’s have to be solved soon
“Chief prosecutor (Jansen) has to know that she has an AG ahead of her” – Minister Rudy Croes
Bon Dia Aruba
12/07/2005
ORANJESTAD – Chief Prosecutor Karen Jansen has to know that there is a general attorney and an AG ahead of her. Everything has to do with rank. Minister Rudy Croes gave the Public Prosecution personnel until the 17 of December to solve the internal problems they have. Here he confirmed that there is still a problem at the Public Prosecution where there are certain persons who are looking for problems by undermining the authority of their boss.
He made specific mention of the chief prosecutor who has a problem with the AG. The mandatory said that he is aware of the situation. He is not happy with how things are going in the department and that after the 17 of this month, a decision will be taken of what measures to takle
PROSECUTOR ANGELA
As first confirmed by Bon Dia Aruba some weeks back, Minister Rudy Croes spoke about the arrival of prosecutor Angela from Curacao, who is a respected Aruban in his field of work. His objective will be to conduct an independent investigation of the case of Natalee Holloway. However he will not be located at the Public Prosecution. The mandatory demonstrated that he doesn’t want for prosecutor Angela to be influenced by the Public Prosecution and as such, he will be given all the information for him to work on during his stay here in Aruba. Here he will be able to do work completely independently.
TALK A LOT
The work of the prosecutor will be to help with the investigation and solve this, and where things went badly, to solve this to avoid these from happening again in the future. The mandatory sent a strong signal for those who are talking too much, for them to stop talking a little and let the authorized people speak. According to the mandatory, a few times he has heard people speak nonsense on television.
LINE OF COMMAND
He spoke of a letter that he sent to all departments where they have to follow the line of command. If you a boss, you have to follow the line. If you show a lack of respect for your boss, the Minister cannot accept this from any government department, less still from the Public Prosecution.
Breaking: On the Larry King Show: Now Dr. Phil believes that Natalee is dead
DIARIO Aruba
12/07/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Tuesday night, the famous Dr. Phil was on Larry King’s program, where he was to come speak about the case of Natalee Holloway, and the general public had the opportunity to call the program and ask questions. Dr. Phil was on the program to promote his book as well, which deals about couples relationships and how one can ‘date’ a person. One of the spectators who called asked Dr. Phil if he believes that Natalee was kidnapped and used as a prostitute.
According to Dr. Phil, this is probably the case and he also said that he believes that Natalee is dead. After he recently said on television that he has leads which show that Natalee is alive, now he is saying that he believes that the youngster is dead.
He didn’t say why, but perhaps he has found certain information. ‘Who knows’. Another person called and said that they always go to Aruba, but now that now, they will wait until the time that the case is resolved to visit the island again.
The person asked Dr. Phil what he thinks about the boycott, where he answered that he believes that Aruba probably doesn’t have sophisticated and necessary resources to conduct a good investigation, in the way that is desired, and this is what caused problems in the investigation.
In regards to the word boycott, Dr. Phil tried to be very cautious to not use this word, but in a fine manner he told the spectators that called, that it’s best to go visit other parts of America that they haven’t seen, rather than to visit Aruba. This shows that Dr. Phil is perhaps realizing that he has to have a little more caution with what he says, perhaps feeling that soon everything will come out, and it is not the fault of the people of Aruba for the whole situation.
DIARIO Aruba
12/07/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Tuesday night, the famous Dr. Phil was on Larry King’s program, where he was to come speak about the case of Natalee Holloway, and the general public had the opportunity to call the program and ask questions. Dr. Phil was on the program to promote his book as well, which deals about couples relationships and how one can ‘date’ a person. One of the spectators who called asked Dr. Phil if he believes that Natalee was kidnapped and used as a prostitute.
According to Dr. Phil, this is probably the case and he also said that he believes that Natalee is dead. After he recently said on television that he has leads which show that Natalee is alive, now he is saying that he believes that the youngster is dead.
He didn’t say why, but perhaps he has found certain information. ‘Who knows’. Another person called and said that they always go to Aruba, but now that now, they will wait until the time that the case is resolved to visit the island again.
The person asked Dr. Phil what he thinks about the boycott, where he answered that he believes that Aruba probably doesn’t have sophisticated and necessary resources to conduct a good investigation, in the way that is desired, and this is what caused problems in the investigation.
In regards to the word boycott, Dr. Phil tried to be very cautious to not use this word, but in a fine manner he told the spectators that called, that it’s best to go visit other parts of America that they haven’t seen, rather than to visit Aruba. This shows that Dr. Phil is perhaps realizing that he has to have a little more caution with what he says, perhaps feeling that soon everything will come out, and it is not the fault of the people of Aruba for the whole situation.
People who talk a lot, have to stop talking and let the appropriate people talk
This according to the Minister of Justice after a question about Dompig’s declarations on Vanity Fair
DIARIO Aruba
12/07/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): During an interview with the Minister of Justice, the press asked the mandatory about the fact that an interview with Commissioner Dompig appeared in Vanity Fair, where he said that in the case of Natalee Holloway he arrested people to please the family.
Minister Croes said that there now is a tremendous Aruban prosecutor, who works in Curacao, who has just been asked to come to Aruba to give a hand, to do an independent investigation of the investigation which took place, where she will find all the documents.
According to Minister Croes, the Public Ministry [in Aruba] asked to work with them, however the Minister wants for her to do a completely, totally independent job, to help resolve the case and to detect where things went badly, for us to avoid them in the future.
The Minister said that he asks for people who talk too much, to stop talking a little, in order to let the appropriate people speak.
This according to the Minister of Justice after a question about Dompig’s declarations on Vanity Fair
DIARIO Aruba
12/07/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): During an interview with the Minister of Justice, the press asked the mandatory about the fact that an interview with Commissioner Dompig appeared in Vanity Fair, where he said that in the case of Natalee Holloway he arrested people to please the family.
Minister Croes said that there now is a tremendous Aruban prosecutor, who works in Curacao, who has just been asked to come to Aruba to give a hand, to do an independent investigation of the investigation which took place, where she will find all the documents.
According to Minister Croes, the Public Ministry [in Aruba] asked to work with them, however the Minister wants for her to do a completely, totally independent job, to help resolve the case and to detect where things went badly, for us to avoid them in the future.
The Minister said that he asks for people who talk too much, to stop talking a little, in order to let the appropriate people speak.
Holloway-case on Larry King live
Amigoe
12/07/2005
ARUBA -- Last night, a lawyer and a former district attorney condemned the media hype on the Natalee Holloway-case on Larry King on CNN. They talked about the Holloway-case in anticipation of tonight’s broadcast, when Dr. Phil as well as private detective Jamie Skeeters is going to give an explanation on the videotape with a recording on Deepak Kalpoe.
Mark Geragos and Mary Fulginiti both agree that if it was their case, as lawyer and district attorney, they would have kicked Dr Phil off the case. They do not understand Dr Phil’s involvement with this case. It is very irresponsible allowing suspects to speak and interfere so intense with a case like this. It is very bad when citizens meddle in an investigation. Very often, this damages the case as well as the evidence. They say that the media-attention has played into the defense of the suspects hands. “Suppose the OM wants to persecute the suspect. It is then very easy for the defense to say that the recordings have been tampered with. And that makes all the other evidence doubtful.” They emphasize that it is revolting trying to impose the American system on Aruba.
Amigoe
12/07/2005
ARUBA -- Last night, a lawyer and a former district attorney condemned the media hype on the Natalee Holloway-case on Larry King on CNN. They talked about the Holloway-case in anticipation of tonight’s broadcast, when Dr. Phil as well as private detective Jamie Skeeters is going to give an explanation on the videotape with a recording on Deepak Kalpoe.
Mark Geragos and Mary Fulginiti both agree that if it was their case, as lawyer and district attorney, they would have kicked Dr Phil off the case. They do not understand Dr Phil’s involvement with this case. It is very irresponsible allowing suspects to speak and interfere so intense with a case like this. It is very bad when citizens meddle in an investigation. Very often, this damages the case as well as the evidence. They say that the media-attention has played into the defense of the suspects hands. “Suppose the OM wants to persecute the suspect. It is then very easy for the defense to say that the recordings have been tampered with. And that makes all the other evidence doubtful.” They emphasize that it is revolting trying to impose the American system on Aruba.
12.05.2005
Related to the case of Natalee Holloway
Aruba will try in every way to give correct information
DIARIO Aruba
12/05/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): Recently, during the press conference of the Strategic Task Force, the new spokesperson, Steve Cohen, was asked how Aruba has planned to give our side of the coin, in what concerns the case of Natalee Holloway.
According to Cohen, they have to approach the American programs and make an appeal for them to be fair, so in this way we can give our side, after Beth Twitty and others who are boycotting Aruba have found many opportunities to speak badly of Aruba.
According to Cohen, he hopes that they feel the obligation to let us tell our side of the story.
The press asked Mr. Cohen what the plan is, if the TV channels do not give us this opportunity.
He explains that he has good relations with various TV channels and with the Associated Press, while the Strategic Communications Task Force also has their own ‘blog’, on which to put all necessary relevant information.
Aruba will try in every way to give correct information
DIARIO Aruba
12/05/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): Recently, during the press conference of the Strategic Task Force, the new spokesperson, Steve Cohen, was asked how Aruba has planned to give our side of the coin, in what concerns the case of Natalee Holloway.
According to Cohen, they have to approach the American programs and make an appeal for them to be fair, so in this way we can give our side, after Beth Twitty and others who are boycotting Aruba have found many opportunities to speak badly of Aruba.
According to Cohen, he hopes that they feel the obligation to let us tell our side of the story.
The press asked Mr. Cohen what the plan is, if the TV channels do not give us this opportunity.
He explains that he has good relations with various TV channels and with the Associated Press, while the Strategic Communications Task Force also has their own ‘blog’, on which to put all necessary relevant information.
At the AHATA General Assembly
New Chairman Alfonso Riveroll makes an excellent speech
A.M. Digital
12/05/2005
The Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino hosted the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association General Assembly last week. On the assembly’s agenda: the election of the new board with Chairman Alfonso Riveroll at the helm.
Riveroll, the owner of the Wyndham Aruba Resort Spa & Casino was visibly excited to assume the leadership of Aruba’s most important association
He’s honored and privileged he explained, to accept the role of Chairman of the Board of the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association. As a board member for the past years, and after serving as first vice chair this year he is well aware, he stated, of the responsibilities and challenges the position entails.
“Let me assure all of you who have placed your trust in me, that I am committed to making a major difference for AHATA and thus for the people of Aruba,” he declared.
A love Affair with Aruba
Riveroll first came to Aruba in 1955, and he’s had a love affair with the island since then, citing the warmth and friendliness of the people here, as the foundation of the island’s success.
Public & Private Sector Partnership
The new chairman of AHATA stated he believed in open doors, and in seeking alliances, thus promoting work in partnership with the members of the association, the business community and the government.
He will encourage, he declared, close ties with the Trade and Industry Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Retailers and the Gastronomic Association, and he would solicit opinions, support and cooperation in making tourism the greatest contributor to the well-being of Aruba as a community.
Message to the Aruba Tourism Authority
When addressing his colleagues at the Aruba Tourism Authority and other important public sector agencies, Riveroll said that it was time for new thinking and new ways of looking at their respective roles. He asked the public sector to become a facilitator, an enabler, and a cheerleader for the private sector.
Public sector agencies, he reiterated should attempt to control less, and be more concerned with results.
Global trends are clear, he explained, as less public sector bureaucracy yields more public & private sector partnerships, which are the keys to economic success.
Just like the private sector, Riveroll advised, government should also be modeled after enterprise, becoming flexible, entrepreneurial and most of all accountable.
Accountability, Riveroll stressed, must be the guiding light as Aruba moves forward.
Meet Aruba should become a partnership
Praising the recent creation of Meet Aruba, an effective Group Marketing and Sales Organization, Riveroll lamented that valuable time was wasted in trying to establish the ground rules for a partnership with the Aruba Tourism Authority, the government agency.
“In our industry,” Riveroll warned, “wasting time is like handing market share to our competitors. It is something that we simply cannot afford to do.”
Meet Aruba also formed an alliance with the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, and really put Aruba on the map in the Meetings and Convention market, in just three months, Riverol informed.
It is his hope; he added that the Aruba Tourism Authority, seeing the quick, success and professional results of Meet Aruba, would rejoin the organization, as originally intended
With private sector contributions, both financial and intellectual reflected in the board of governance, Meet Aruba could and would continue to grow, Riveroll indicated.
Team with Common Purpose
At the end of his presentation, Riveroll reflected a bit on the most unprecedented level of media attention, Aruba has received in the past six month, most of it negative.
“Our image,” he said, “has certainly been tarnished and AHATA has been at the forefront with ATA, ATIA, Government, Chamber of Commerce and local business leaders, teaming up with a common purpose, to preserve the island’s image and minimize the impact of the Holloway disappearance. We have fared well, but we need to face such challenges with bold and fast actions,” he stated.
He pointed out that despite having differences, all entities managed to develop a great rapport, a fact he deemed invaluable to future collaborations, and while he was committed to making a difference and to working with everyone who wanted to move mountains, he called for modification of outdated structures and old ways of thinking.
He concluded his well-received address with compliments to AHATA CEO, Jorge Pesquera his fine team and the AHATA board.
Aruba he predicted will remain the most successful destination in the Caribbean. And while the job as Chairman of the AHATA board is a voluntary one, Riverol expects it to become the most fulfilling job of his life.
New Chairman Alfonso Riveroll makes an excellent speech
A.M. Digital
12/05/2005
The Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino hosted the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association General Assembly last week. On the assembly’s agenda: the election of the new board with Chairman Alfonso Riveroll at the helm.
Riveroll, the owner of the Wyndham Aruba Resort Spa & Casino was visibly excited to assume the leadership of Aruba’s most important association
He’s honored and privileged he explained, to accept the role of Chairman of the Board of the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association. As a board member for the past years, and after serving as first vice chair this year he is well aware, he stated, of the responsibilities and challenges the position entails.
“Let me assure all of you who have placed your trust in me, that I am committed to making a major difference for AHATA and thus for the people of Aruba,” he declared.
A love Affair with Aruba
Riveroll first came to Aruba in 1955, and he’s had a love affair with the island since then, citing the warmth and friendliness of the people here, as the foundation of the island’s success.
Public & Private Sector Partnership
The new chairman of AHATA stated he believed in open doors, and in seeking alliances, thus promoting work in partnership with the members of the association, the business community and the government.
He will encourage, he declared, close ties with the Trade and Industry Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Retailers and the Gastronomic Association, and he would solicit opinions, support and cooperation in making tourism the greatest contributor to the well-being of Aruba as a community.
Message to the Aruba Tourism Authority
When addressing his colleagues at the Aruba Tourism Authority and other important public sector agencies, Riveroll said that it was time for new thinking and new ways of looking at their respective roles. He asked the public sector to become a facilitator, an enabler, and a cheerleader for the private sector.
Public sector agencies, he reiterated should attempt to control less, and be more concerned with results.
Global trends are clear, he explained, as less public sector bureaucracy yields more public & private sector partnerships, which are the keys to economic success.
Just like the private sector, Riveroll advised, government should also be modeled after enterprise, becoming flexible, entrepreneurial and most of all accountable.
Accountability, Riveroll stressed, must be the guiding light as Aruba moves forward.
Meet Aruba should become a partnership
Praising the recent creation of Meet Aruba, an effective Group Marketing and Sales Organization, Riveroll lamented that valuable time was wasted in trying to establish the ground rules for a partnership with the Aruba Tourism Authority, the government agency.
“In our industry,” Riveroll warned, “wasting time is like handing market share to our competitors. It is something that we simply cannot afford to do.”
Meet Aruba also formed an alliance with the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, and really put Aruba on the map in the Meetings and Convention market, in just three months, Riverol informed.
It is his hope; he added that the Aruba Tourism Authority, seeing the quick, success and professional results of Meet Aruba, would rejoin the organization, as originally intended
With private sector contributions, both financial and intellectual reflected in the board of governance, Meet Aruba could and would continue to grow, Riveroll indicated.
Team with Common Purpose
At the end of his presentation, Riveroll reflected a bit on the most unprecedented level of media attention, Aruba has received in the past six month, most of it negative.
“Our image,” he said, “has certainly been tarnished and AHATA has been at the forefront with ATA, ATIA, Government, Chamber of Commerce and local business leaders, teaming up with a common purpose, to preserve the island’s image and minimize the impact of the Holloway disappearance. We have fared well, but we need to face such challenges with bold and fast actions,” he stated.
He pointed out that despite having differences, all entities managed to develop a great rapport, a fact he deemed invaluable to future collaborations, and while he was committed to making a difference and to working with everyone who wanted to move mountains, he called for modification of outdated structures and old ways of thinking.
He concluded his well-received address with compliments to AHATA CEO, Jorge Pesquera his fine team and the AHATA board.
Aruba he predicted will remain the most successful destination in the Caribbean. And while the job as Chairman of the AHATA board is a voluntary one, Riverol expects it to become the most fulfilling job of his life.
The Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association General Assembly Elects
A New Board for AHATA
A.M. Digital
12/05/2005
The Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association voted in a new board at its general assembly which took place at the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino.
The owner of the Wyndham Aruba Resort Spa & Casino, businessman Alfonso Riveroll, became the new Chairman of the Board for the Association.
Fellow hotelier Ewald Biemans, Bucuti Beach Resort & Tara Suites, became 1st Vice Chair while Warren Stanley, Atlantis Adventure assumed the role of 2nd Vice Chair. Marriott General Manager Rick Zeolla will serve as Treasurer of the Association and Alex Nieuwmeyer, Divi & Tamarijn Beach Resort accepted responsibilities as the board’s Secretary.
Board members voted in are businessman Eduardo de Veer, Renaissance/Meta Corp; Banker Bill Carson, Caribbean Mercantile Bank; hotelier Scott Allen, Hyatt Regency; Director Peter Steinmetz, Aruba Airport Authority; Public Relations official David Smith, Valero Oil Refinery, Lisette Malmberg, De Palm Tours and hotelier Werner Hein, Occidental Resort.
The election process was assisted by Dr. Ryan Peterson, Universidad di Aruba, attorney Antonio Carlo and Marlene Purcell, Salamander Holdings under the supervision of consultant Jaap Beaujon.
The new board is seen here in the picture with members of the outgoing board and Jorge Pesquera AHATA’s President and CEO.
A New Board for AHATA
A.M. Digital
12/05/2005
The Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association voted in a new board at its general assembly which took place at the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino.
The owner of the Wyndham Aruba Resort Spa & Casino, businessman Alfonso Riveroll, became the new Chairman of the Board for the Association.
Fellow hotelier Ewald Biemans, Bucuti Beach Resort & Tara Suites, became 1st Vice Chair while Warren Stanley, Atlantis Adventure assumed the role of 2nd Vice Chair. Marriott General Manager Rick Zeolla will serve as Treasurer of the Association and Alex Nieuwmeyer, Divi & Tamarijn Beach Resort accepted responsibilities as the board’s Secretary.
Board members voted in are businessman Eduardo de Veer, Renaissance/Meta Corp; Banker Bill Carson, Caribbean Mercantile Bank; hotelier Scott Allen, Hyatt Regency; Director Peter Steinmetz, Aruba Airport Authority; Public Relations official David Smith, Valero Oil Refinery, Lisette Malmberg, De Palm Tours and hotelier Werner Hein, Occidental Resort.
The election process was assisted by Dr. Ryan Peterson, Universidad di Aruba, attorney Antonio Carlo and Marlene Purcell, Salamander Holdings under the supervision of consultant Jaap Beaujon.
The new board is seen here in the picture with members of the outgoing board and Jorge Pesquera AHATA’s President and CEO.
12.03.2005
New spokesperson in the US Steve Cohen referring to Beth Twitty
Sadness is no reason to not speak the truth
Our island now has a person recognized in the US to bring forth the other side of the case of Natalee Holloway
Bon Dia Aruba
12/3/2005
Cohen was involved with the SCTF from the beginning. Has written many articles and has been in contact with American media to show what Aruba has been doing.
Pesquera doesn't believe any other country would have done as much as Aruba has done. If you could put a price on it, the price tag of what they have done is in the millions. The hotel and food costs covered for the family of Natalee Holloway is up to $350 k. The expenses of the government, in terms of police overtime and all other expenses, for example lost productivity, the half day off given to public employees, etc. is in the millions.
Cohen is working to bring the other side of the story to the American media. Among others, he is working with CBS on a story of Aruba which will air in February.
Cohen will go on local TV of the most important markets for Aruba to put forth the real image of Aruba.
Sadness is no reason to not speak the truth
Our island now has a person recognized in the US to bring forth the other side of the case of Natalee Holloway
Bon Dia Aruba
12/3/2005
Cohen was involved with the SCTF from the beginning. Has written many articles and has been in contact with American media to show what Aruba has been doing.
Pesquera doesn't believe any other country would have done as much as Aruba has done. If you could put a price on it, the price tag of what they have done is in the millions. The hotel and food costs covered for the family of Natalee Holloway is up to $350 k. The expenses of the government, in terms of police overtime and all other expenses, for example lost productivity, the half day off given to public employees, etc. is in the millions.
Cohen is working to bring the other side of the story to the American media. Among others, he is working with CBS on a story of Aruba which will air in February.
Cohen will go on local TV of the most important markets for Aruba to put forth the real image of Aruba.
Prosecutor to come from Curacao, not for Natalee but to investigate the Public Ministry
Attorney General sent letter to prosecutor Karin Janssen this week to prohibit her speaking to the press
War in Public Ministry continues!
Bon Dia Aruba
12/03/2005
ORANJESTAD – The war in the Public Ministry took another turn this week when the AG sent a letter to Chief Prosecutor Karin Janssen, and informed her numerous time that she cannot speak to the press. This letter was dated December 1 and was specifically addressed to Janssen.
MEND RELATIONSHIP
It can be recalled still that the Minister of Justice Rudy Croes gave this department one month the mend their relationship and end with the whole war that is going on in the Public Ministry, otherwise he will have to take measures.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Recently, an Aruba media outlet named Karin Janssen as their Woman of the Year for the year 2005. Something that the prosecutor appreciated very much and celebrated afterwards as well. Bon Dia understands that there was an incident where the prosecutor cut a cake to celebrate this but that the AG did not appreciate this gesture in the least.
PROSECUTOR ANGELA
At the same time as well, it is Bon Dia's understanding that the prosecutor from Aruba who livesin Curacao, prosecutor Angela, will have to come to Aruba to help solve the case of Natalee Holloway and that she will remain until there is a satisfactory solution. It is known that Angela is a very successful professional in Curacao and that she has been able to solve many cases. But now it turns out that her visit to Aruba is not to solve the Holloway case, but for war within the Public Ministry and how to solve this.
THE CLOCK IS RUNNING
Bon Dia Aruba continues to keep a close eye on this case to see how it is going at the core of the Public Ministry since once again, it looks as if things are not going well in this department and that the clock is running for this responsible to take action, such as Rudy Croes alluded to some days ago. He gave the department one moth, otherwise the measures that have to be taken will come.
Attorney General sent letter to prosecutor Karin Janssen this week to prohibit her speaking to the press
War in Public Ministry continues!
Bon Dia Aruba
12/03/2005
ORANJESTAD – The war in the Public Ministry took another turn this week when the AG sent a letter to Chief Prosecutor Karin Janssen, and informed her numerous time that she cannot speak to the press. This letter was dated December 1 and was specifically addressed to Janssen.
MEND RELATIONSHIP
It can be recalled still that the Minister of Justice Rudy Croes gave this department one month the mend their relationship and end with the whole war that is going on in the Public Ministry, otherwise he will have to take measures.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Recently, an Aruba media outlet named Karin Janssen as their Woman of the Year for the year 2005. Something that the prosecutor appreciated very much and celebrated afterwards as well. Bon Dia understands that there was an incident where the prosecutor cut a cake to celebrate this but that the AG did not appreciate this gesture in the least.
PROSECUTOR ANGELA
At the same time as well, it is Bon Dia's understanding that the prosecutor from Aruba who livesin Curacao, prosecutor Angela, will have to come to Aruba to help solve the case of Natalee Holloway and that she will remain until there is a satisfactory solution. It is known that Angela is a very successful professional in Curacao and that she has been able to solve many cases. But now it turns out that her visit to Aruba is not to solve the Holloway case, but for war within the Public Ministry and how to solve this.
THE CLOCK IS RUNNING
Bon Dia Aruba continues to keep a close eye on this case to see how it is going at the core of the Public Ministry since once again, it looks as if things are not going well in this department and that the clock is running for this responsible to take action, such as Rudy Croes alluded to some days ago. He gave the department one moth, otherwise the measures that have to be taken will come.
Court TV creator becomes spokesperson for the Strategic Communications Task Force of Aruba
According to Steve Cohen, we have to straighten out Aruba’s image
DIARIO Aruba
12/03/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): A press conference given by the Strategic Communications Task Force (SCT) took place on Friday, where the CEO of AHATA and members of the SCT that they held a meeting and they came to the decision to name a special person to be spokesperson for SCT, for everything that has to do with the case of Natalee Holloway.
ATIA’s president, Serge Mansur, said that the decision was to name Steve Cohen for this post.
Steve Cohen has worked as a reporter and presenter in the US, where he was a ‘Senior News Executive’ in Los Angeles and New York.
According to Mr. Mansur, Cohen is one of the creators and producer of the famous Court TV in the US, where he had experience in more than 150 big cases in the courts of the US.
Steve Cohen was also vice president of CBS during 12 years.
This person was on the case from the beginning and has been coming to Aruba since 1979.
Steve Cohen took the podium, where he thanked those who gave him the position of spokesperson.
According to Cohen, 6 months ago, Aruba was a country that was considered as safe, where tourists were safe in their beloved vacations.
Now, 6 months later Aruba is still the same, but the image that the US has o Aruba has changed, because of a worried family and others who think that Aruba did not act fast enough, speak and think badly of Aruba.
The objective in the months to come is to change this back. We do not have the amount of criminality that America has and we have one of the best police corps in the area of the Caribbean.
This, according to Cohen, who said that this is the message that has to be heard for Americans, but Beth Twitty is still saying that the judicial system of Aruba is not working and that it is corrupt.
The fact that a person or family is sad, does not take away that they always have to speak the truth about what has happened. According to Cohen, his role is going to be to let the truth continue to prevail.
The press asked Cohen how he thinks he will do this. According to Cohen, he will try to go on talk shows to try to relay his message to Americans.
SCT also will work closely with the Public Ministry and the investigators of this case, where they will try to let representatives of the Public Ministry or the group of investigators go on one of these programs, after they have had good coaching.
He said that attorney Arlene Ellis Schipper has done a tremendous job, but cannot confront alone all those that they have put against her in the American programs.
According to Steve Cohen, we have to straighten out Aruba’s image
DIARIO Aruba
12/03/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): A press conference given by the Strategic Communications Task Force (SCT) took place on Friday, where the CEO of AHATA and members of the SCT that they held a meeting and they came to the decision to name a special person to be spokesperson for SCT, for everything that has to do with the case of Natalee Holloway.
ATIA’s president, Serge Mansur, said that the decision was to name Steve Cohen for this post.
Steve Cohen has worked as a reporter and presenter in the US, where he was a ‘Senior News Executive’ in Los Angeles and New York.
According to Mr. Mansur, Cohen is one of the creators and producer of the famous Court TV in the US, where he had experience in more than 150 big cases in the courts of the US.
Steve Cohen was also vice president of CBS during 12 years.
This person was on the case from the beginning and has been coming to Aruba since 1979.
Steve Cohen took the podium, where he thanked those who gave him the position of spokesperson.
According to Cohen, 6 months ago, Aruba was a country that was considered as safe, where tourists were safe in their beloved vacations.
Now, 6 months later Aruba is still the same, but the image that the US has o Aruba has changed, because of a worried family and others who think that Aruba did not act fast enough, speak and think badly of Aruba.
The objective in the months to come is to change this back. We do not have the amount of criminality that America has and we have one of the best police corps in the area of the Caribbean.
This, according to Cohen, who said that this is the message that has to be heard for Americans, but Beth Twitty is still saying that the judicial system of Aruba is not working and that it is corrupt.
The fact that a person or family is sad, does not take away that they always have to speak the truth about what has happened. According to Cohen, his role is going to be to let the truth continue to prevail.
The press asked Cohen how he thinks he will do this. According to Cohen, he will try to go on talk shows to try to relay his message to Americans.
SCT also will work closely with the Public Ministry and the investigators of this case, where they will try to let representatives of the Public Ministry or the group of investigators go on one of these programs, after they have had good coaching.
He said that attorney Arlene Ellis Schipper has done a tremendous job, but cannot confront alone all those that they have put against her in the American programs.
According to Joe Mammana
An American life is worth more than any quantity of foreigners’ lives
While attorney Schipper explains how the Deepak conversation was manipulated
DIARIO Aruba
12/03/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): Recently, in MSNBC’s Rita Cosby program, they dealt with the case of Natalee Holloway, where they focused among other things on the matter of the recorded conversation with Deepak Kalpoe.
They also spoke about the boycott against Aruba, where they spoke with representatives of Aruba, as well as with different radio broadcasters from other channels.
One of the broadcasters was for the boycott against Aruba, and the other, Steve Yuhas was of the opinion that a boycott was very ridiculous.
There was also a psychic on the program, who said that she supports the boycott.
She also said that regrettably Natalee is dead and that Deepak, Joran and Satish are guilty, while Joran’s father also knows what happened.
Joe Mammana, who is the millionaire who helped Beth Twitty come to Aruba with his private jet at the beginning of the case, and who supposedly is cooperating with the mother in her search for Natalee, spoke very badly about Aruba.
Mammana, who was a criminal and was incarcerated in the US for a long time some years back, has been making donations to charitable organizations for a number of years to try to redeem himself.
Now he has decided to participate in the boycott against Aruba, where on American TV he reacted in an aggressive manner against Aruba.
He brought a big quantity of posters and flyers, saying that if one goes to Aruba, one has a big chance of being raped and disappeared. His intention is to distribute the posters around America.
He also said that one American is worth more than any quantity of foreigners around the world.
Attorney Arlene Ellis Schipper, who was on the program to defend Aruba, explained that Aruba cannot go and fabricate evidence to make people guilty in order to please the US. In Aruba you also have to have sufficient proof to punish someone.
Mrs. Schipper told DIARIO Friday that after the program, she received many positive emails from people in the US, who after the discriminatory declarations of Mammana, realized how unjust the matter of the boycott against Aruba is.
In the emails, there were people who said that Mammana must remember that people of many different nationalities live in America and that if he says that one American is worth more than any quantity of foreigners, this is a declaration against other American citizens who have established themselves in America recently.
Friday, Mrs. Schipper gave DIARIO a more elaborate explanation about the matter of the recording that Jamie Skeeters made of Deepak Kalpoe.
It is after Dr. Phil aired the recording of the conversation on his program, local authorities requested a copy of the tape to investigate.
It was after 6 weeks that Aruban authorities procured the CD Rom and VHS tape, but not voluntarily.
The copies of Skeeter’s hard disk, as well as the tape that aired on the Dr. Phil show was then sent to the Nederlandse Forensische Instituut (NFI) and the results showed that the copy of Skeeter’s hard disk did not show evidence of manipulation.
There was a strange ‘skip’, but no manipulation. As for the copy of the Dr. Phil show, NFI clearly said that there was manipulation.
Not only did they edit the conversation, but they cut certain words. According to NFI, they cut just before ‘she’ and just in the word ‘didn’t’.
On the copy of Skeeter’s tape, the sentence that Deepak said after Skeeters asked if Natalee had sex with all three of them was: “no she didn’t”
According to NFI, on the tape of the Dr. Phil program, they removed the “no” and they removed the “n’t” on the word “didn’t”, to make it seem as if Deepak said “she did”.
This, according to NFI, is not ‘edit’, but manipulation. Holland and Aruba via their so-called “Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty” (MLAT) with the US requested that the US confirm this result.
This was asked two weeks ago and still the US has not sent any result.
According to attorney Schipper, who is part of the Strategic Communications Task Force, experts from MSNBC made a test on the tapes also, and confirmed what the NFI observed.
Now apparently the Dr. Phil show has taken a negative posture against MSNBC, because they also observed that it is probable that the Dr. Phil show manipulated the tape in their favour, to sensationalize in order to raise the show’s ratings.
Attorney Schipper explained to DIARIO that she is not defending Deepak Kalpoe, but it cannot be that the American program has done everything to show as if the police and the investigation in Aruba are good for nothing, in order to start a boycott against our island.
An American life is worth more than any quantity of foreigners’ lives
While attorney Schipper explains how the Deepak conversation was manipulated
DIARIO Aruba
12/03/2005
ORANJESTAD(AAN): Recently, in MSNBC’s Rita Cosby program, they dealt with the case of Natalee Holloway, where they focused among other things on the matter of the recorded conversation with Deepak Kalpoe.
They also spoke about the boycott against Aruba, where they spoke with representatives of Aruba, as well as with different radio broadcasters from other channels.
One of the broadcasters was for the boycott against Aruba, and the other, Steve Yuhas was of the opinion that a boycott was very ridiculous.
There was also a psychic on the program, who said that she supports the boycott.
She also said that regrettably Natalee is dead and that Deepak, Joran and Satish are guilty, while Joran’s father also knows what happened.
Joe Mammana, who is the millionaire who helped Beth Twitty come to Aruba with his private jet at the beginning of the case, and who supposedly is cooperating with the mother in her search for Natalee, spoke very badly about Aruba.
Mammana, who was a criminal and was incarcerated in the US for a long time some years back, has been making donations to charitable organizations for a number of years to try to redeem himself.
Now he has decided to participate in the boycott against Aruba, where on American TV he reacted in an aggressive manner against Aruba.
He brought a big quantity of posters and flyers, saying that if one goes to Aruba, one has a big chance of being raped and disappeared. His intention is to distribute the posters around America.
He also said that one American is worth more than any quantity of foreigners around the world.
Attorney Arlene Ellis Schipper, who was on the program to defend Aruba, explained that Aruba cannot go and fabricate evidence to make people guilty in order to please the US. In Aruba you also have to have sufficient proof to punish someone.
Mrs. Schipper told DIARIO Friday that after the program, she received many positive emails from people in the US, who after the discriminatory declarations of Mammana, realized how unjust the matter of the boycott against Aruba is.
In the emails, there were people who said that Mammana must remember that people of many different nationalities live in America and that if he says that one American is worth more than any quantity of foreigners, this is a declaration against other American citizens who have established themselves in America recently.
Friday, Mrs. Schipper gave DIARIO a more elaborate explanation about the matter of the recording that Jamie Skeeters made of Deepak Kalpoe.
It is after Dr. Phil aired the recording of the conversation on his program, local authorities requested a copy of the tape to investigate.
It was after 6 weeks that Aruban authorities procured the CD Rom and VHS tape, but not voluntarily.
The copies of Skeeter’s hard disk, as well as the tape that aired on the Dr. Phil show was then sent to the Nederlandse Forensische Instituut (NFI) and the results showed that the copy of Skeeter’s hard disk did not show evidence of manipulation.
There was a strange ‘skip’, but no manipulation. As for the copy of the Dr. Phil show, NFI clearly said that there was manipulation.
Not only did they edit the conversation, but they cut certain words. According to NFI, they cut just before ‘she’ and just in the word ‘didn’t’.
On the copy of Skeeter’s tape, the sentence that Deepak said after Skeeters asked if Natalee had sex with all three of them was: “no she didn’t”
According to NFI, on the tape of the Dr. Phil program, they removed the “no” and they removed the “n’t” on the word “didn’t”, to make it seem as if Deepak said “she did”.
This, according to NFI, is not ‘edit’, but manipulation. Holland and Aruba via their so-called “Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty” (MLAT) with the US requested that the US confirm this result.
This was asked two weeks ago and still the US has not sent any result.
According to attorney Schipper, who is part of the Strategic Communications Task Force, experts from MSNBC made a test on the tapes also, and confirmed what the NFI observed.
Now apparently the Dr. Phil show has taken a negative posture against MSNBC, because they also observed that it is probable that the Dr. Phil show manipulated the tape in their favour, to sensationalize in order to raise the show’s ratings.
Attorney Schipper explained to DIARIO that she is not defending Deepak Kalpoe, but it cannot be that the American program has done everything to show as if the police and the investigation in Aruba are good for nothing, in order to start a boycott against our island.
Steve Cohen appointed as spokes person for Aruba
A.M. Digital
12/03/2005
The Strategic Committee that was instituted in the Natalee Holloway case called a press conference yesterday where Jorge Pesquera, President and CEO of the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association announced that for the passed few weeks they were in search of a spokes person to counter arrest all incorrect information that is distributed in the US press especially via TV.
According to Pesquera, a consensus was reached with Aruba Tourism Authority that also helped in the intents, to appoint Steve Cohen to do the job. Both organizations found Steve Cohen to be the adequate person in the position. Cohen is already much involved in the case and has already been advising the Government. He has been doing a great job behind the curtains, according to Pesquera.
It was Serge Mansur who presented Steve Cohen, who used to be a journalist, anchor and executive in the media market. He was a producer of the program Court TV and attended various cases of missing children.. Cohen was Vice President of CBS for twelve years and besides being in the media market in Los Angeles he is also active in Boston, San Diego and New York. He is a real professional and a friend of Aruba as he has been traveling to Aruba since 1979.
Cohen, who knows Aruba, says that our island has been known as a safe and hospitable island and now, six months after the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, nothing has changed in spite of the incident with the American teenager that caused negative comments on Aruba in the North American market. The changes occurred when the family of the disappeared teen decided to speak nothing else but bad about Aruba.
Therefore Steve’s purpose for the next couple of months is to counter arrest all false information because Aruba is the same as 6 months ago. The Judicial system is working. We are a country with order where all that violate the law are punished.
Aruba has the best police force and the best Public Prosecutor, certainly in the Caribbean and that is the kind of message that we must be sending out to the American people, according to Cohen. He will make use of all media that are willing to listen to the other side of the coin.
A.M. Digital
12/03/2005
The Strategic Committee that was instituted in the Natalee Holloway case called a press conference yesterday where Jorge Pesquera, President and CEO of the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association announced that for the passed few weeks they were in search of a spokes person to counter arrest all incorrect information that is distributed in the US press especially via TV.
According to Pesquera, a consensus was reached with Aruba Tourism Authority that also helped in the intents, to appoint Steve Cohen to do the job. Both organizations found Steve Cohen to be the adequate person in the position. Cohen is already much involved in the case and has already been advising the Government. He has been doing a great job behind the curtains, according to Pesquera.
It was Serge Mansur who presented Steve Cohen, who used to be a journalist, anchor and executive in the media market. He was a producer of the program Court TV and attended various cases of missing children.. Cohen was Vice President of CBS for twelve years and besides being in the media market in Los Angeles he is also active in Boston, San Diego and New York. He is a real professional and a friend of Aruba as he has been traveling to Aruba since 1979.
Cohen, who knows Aruba, says that our island has been known as a safe and hospitable island and now, six months after the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, nothing has changed in spite of the incident with the American teenager that caused negative comments on Aruba in the North American market. The changes occurred when the family of the disappeared teen decided to speak nothing else but bad about Aruba.
Therefore Steve’s purpose for the next couple of months is to counter arrest all false information because Aruba is the same as 6 months ago. The Judicial system is working. We are a country with order where all that violate the law are punished.
Aruba has the best police force and the best Public Prosecutor, certainly in the Caribbean and that is the kind of message that we must be sending out to the American people, according to Cohen. He will make use of all media that are willing to listen to the other side of the coin.
12.02.2005
Republican Hyde, Chairman Of Committee On International Relations: Aruba Boycott Has No True Support
DIARIO Aruba
12/2/2005
Republican Henry Hyde, Chairman of Committee on International Relations in the US House of Representatives, commented yesterday to local media that he believed the boycott call by the Governor of Alabama is not receiving true support in the U.S. He considers the boycott an individual action and not one that would be sustained nationwide.
"We want to resolve this case as fast as possible. We do not believe that the boycott would help the case," Hyde said. I believe the relationship between the Aruban and the U.S. congresses is good. I think the people who understand the complicity of the two justice systems are less worried and will not support the boycott, he added. "Aruba is a very important strategic area. It is a friendly island and we have to maintain a strong relationship with it," he said.
Hyde and a delegation of 5 other congressmen had been on the island for one night, staying at the Renaissance Resort after they were denied permission to deplane in Venezuela on Monday. The delegation traveled yesterday morning to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, Brazil and Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic.
DIARIO Aruba
12/2/2005
Republican Henry Hyde, Chairman of Committee on International Relations in the US House of Representatives, commented yesterday to local media that he believed the boycott call by the Governor of Alabama is not receiving true support in the U.S. He considers the boycott an individual action and not one that would be sustained nationwide.
"We want to resolve this case as fast as possible. We do not believe that the boycott would help the case," Hyde said. I believe the relationship between the Aruban and the U.S. congresses is good. I think the people who understand the complicity of the two justice systems are less worried and will not support the boycott, he added. "Aruba is a very important strategic area. It is a friendly island and we have to maintain a strong relationship with it," he said.
Hyde and a delegation of 5 other congressmen had been on the island for one night, staying at the Renaissance Resort after they were denied permission to deplane in Venezuela on Monday. The delegation traveled yesterday morning to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, Brazil and Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic.
It is very difficult to distinguish the difference between the various versions of the Deepak conversation recording
DIARIO Aruba
12/02/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Thursday, on the MSNBC program “Abrams Report”, the recording of the conversation between Jamie Skeeters and Deepak Kalpoe was aired, in which the latter supposedly admitted that he, his brother and Joran van der Sloot had sexual relations with Natalee Holloway.
Abrams Report also aired the tape that Aruba has in its possession, where it sounds as if Deepak says that they did not have sexual relations with the youngster.
On the tape, Jamie Skeeters tells Deepak: “I’m sure she had sex with all of you”, where in the version that previously aired on the Dr. Phil show, Deepak’s answer according those who heard it was “She did, you’d be surprised how easy it was”.
On the tape Aruba has, Deepak’s answer is: “She didn’t, you’d be surprised, how easy it would have been”.
Attorney Arlene Ellis-Schipper was on the program via telephone, and explained that one can clearly hear that Deepak said that they did not sleep with Natalee and that one can see Deepak shake his head.
The program host says that he did not see Deepak shake his head, but he did admit that this matter is a ‘mess’ as he called it.
The reporter said that clearly one can hear a difference between the tapes, where in the Skeeter version, Deepak says that they slept with Natalee.
However, a voice analysis expert invited on the program said to the host that he believes if they air the versions without bise [?], he cannot distinguish what is what.
The host said that he believes that he will be able to separate them from the other. To be honest, when DIARIO listened to the recording which passed on television, on all the recordings one can hear: “She didn’t”.
Natalee Holloway’s mother was also on the program and said that the tapes have to be analyzed by the FBI, to afterwards put this matter aside and focus on other aspects of the case, such as certain declarations made by Joran van der Sloot.
Beth Twitty continues to say that she supports the boycott, because local authorities have not made a good job with the investigation of the case.
DIARIO Aruba
12/02/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Thursday, on the MSNBC program “Abrams Report”, the recording of the conversation between Jamie Skeeters and Deepak Kalpoe was aired, in which the latter supposedly admitted that he, his brother and Joran van der Sloot had sexual relations with Natalee Holloway.
Abrams Report also aired the tape that Aruba has in its possession, where it sounds as if Deepak says that they did not have sexual relations with the youngster.
On the tape, Jamie Skeeters tells Deepak: “I’m sure she had sex with all of you”, where in the version that previously aired on the Dr. Phil show, Deepak’s answer according those who heard it was “She did, you’d be surprised how easy it was”.
On the tape Aruba has, Deepak’s answer is: “She didn’t, you’d be surprised, how easy it would have been”.
Attorney Arlene Ellis-Schipper was on the program via telephone, and explained that one can clearly hear that Deepak said that they did not sleep with Natalee and that one can see Deepak shake his head.
The program host says that he did not see Deepak shake his head, but he did admit that this matter is a ‘mess’ as he called it.
The reporter said that clearly one can hear a difference between the tapes, where in the Skeeter version, Deepak says that they slept with Natalee.
However, a voice analysis expert invited on the program said to the host that he believes if they air the versions without bise [?], he cannot distinguish what is what.
The host said that he believes that he will be able to separate them from the other. To be honest, when DIARIO listened to the recording which passed on television, on all the recordings one can hear: “She didn’t”.
Natalee Holloway’s mother was also on the program and said that the tapes have to be analyzed by the FBI, to afterwards put this matter aside and focus on other aspects of the case, such as certain declarations made by Joran van der Sloot.
Beth Twitty continues to say that she supports the boycott, because local authorities have not made a good job with the investigation of the case.
More Flights from LCC’s during the Winter Season
Song increases flights from JFK
A.M. Digital
12/2/2005
With the current Winter Slotting Schedule in effect as of October 30, 2005, Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA) has received some schedule changes. American Trans Air (ATA) cancelled their weekly Saturday flight from Chicago to Aruba. Citing severe financial troubles, fewer aircraft and declining demand for seats to Aruba and other cities, caused ATA to reach this difficult decision.
In addition, Apple Vacations has pulled this winter’s Sunday charter program from Chicago and Detroit to Aruba due to less aircraft in operation in the aftermath of hurricane Wilma in Cancun and low load factors. Mark Travel/Trans Global also cancelled this winter’s Minneapolis Sunday charter operation to Aruba citing high fuel costs and low load factors.
On the other hand, Delta Airlines has decided that Song flights from JFK to Aruba will be increased from Saturday only to 5 weekly frequencies on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the period of February 15, 2006 through April 30, 2006. Song operates B757 aircraft with a capacity of 199 passengers and all-leather seats. AAA N.V. aims to have this service expansion by Song to become permanent during the Summer Season.
Song increases flights from JFK
A.M. Digital
12/2/2005
With the current Winter Slotting Schedule in effect as of October 30, 2005, Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA) has received some schedule changes. American Trans Air (ATA) cancelled their weekly Saturday flight from Chicago to Aruba. Citing severe financial troubles, fewer aircraft and declining demand for seats to Aruba and other cities, caused ATA to reach this difficult decision.
In addition, Apple Vacations has pulled this winter’s Sunday charter program from Chicago and Detroit to Aruba due to less aircraft in operation in the aftermath of hurricane Wilma in Cancun and low load factors. Mark Travel/Trans Global also cancelled this winter’s Minneapolis Sunday charter operation to Aruba citing high fuel costs and low load factors.
On the other hand, Delta Airlines has decided that Song flights from JFK to Aruba will be increased from Saturday only to 5 weekly frequencies on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the period of February 15, 2006 through April 30, 2006. Song operates B757 aircraft with a capacity of 199 passengers and all-leather seats. AAA N.V. aims to have this service expansion by Song to become permanent during the Summer Season.
First and final word from yours truly
(not a translation)
Translations will be now be posted on the Scared Monkeys message board at www.scaredmonkeys.net, as time permits. The articles of note are usually covered by the bloggers on the main blog page at www.scaredmonkeys.com.
This experience has been surreal. Many of those who deride the US media and point to their lack of journalistic standards, revel in what most Aruban papers pass off as journalism. The hypocrisy of it all makes my head spin.
For whatever it's worth, DIARIO is the most independent of all the papers, and although Jossy Mansur is managing editor, he does not write all the articles. I respect the fact that the paper's coverage is relatively balanced, as opposed to other papers which are either government mouthpieces or quite cozy with them.
I have learned to cut through the inanity and inflammatory remarks to look for the real motivations. I wish more people did.
For those of you who understood why I was doing these translations, thank you for visiting this blog.
Prayers for Natalee.
(not a translation)
Translations will be now be posted on the Scared Monkeys message board at www.scaredmonkeys.net, as time permits. The articles of note are usually covered by the bloggers on the main blog page at www.scaredmonkeys.com.
This experience has been surreal. Many of those who deride the US media and point to their lack of journalistic standards, revel in what most Aruban papers pass off as journalism. The hypocrisy of it all makes my head spin.
For whatever it's worth, DIARIO is the most independent of all the papers, and although Jossy Mansur is managing editor, he does not write all the articles. I respect the fact that the paper's coverage is relatively balanced, as opposed to other papers which are either government mouthpieces or quite cozy with them.
I have learned to cut through the inanity and inflammatory remarks to look for the real motivations. I wish more people did.
For those of you who understood why I was doing these translations, thank you for visiting this blog.
Prayers for Natalee.
12.01.2005
Alfonso Riverol is the new AHATA president, named during General Assembly
Organization preparing for difficult period ahead due to the effects of the Natalee Holloway case
Bon Dia Aruba
12/01/2005
O R A N J E S T A D – A new president and new challenges. This was the conclusion of the General Assembly of the Association of Hotel and Tourism of Aruba, AHATA. The general assembly took place at the Radisson Resort, during which Jeff Lesker handed over the reins of he tourism organization to Alfonso Riverol of the Wyndam Resort, who will from now on direct AHATA.
The meeting was marked with optimism because of recent successes, for Aruba as a destination as well as for AHATA as an organization, given how financially it achieved a surplus. This surplus, according to treasurer Ewald Biemans, is of vital importance to withstand tough times ahead, because if something was highlighted during the meeting, is that even the most optimistic hoteliers believe that the impact of the case of Natalee Holloway will surely have an effect next year, after the moth of April. AHATA CEO Jorge Pesquera opened the meeting saying that AHATA exists to bring value to its members, but more importantly, the organization is part of the heart and soul of Aruba and as such, the motto of “Aruba is Us” speaks the words of the commitment we have to our island. AHATA executives Scott Wiggins and Amy Ras-Speyer gave an illustration of all the marketing efforts that AHATA undertook in 2005, along with ATA and other partners, such as airlines. In addition, they showed what the plans are for 2006.
Warren Stanley, who presides over the marketing commission elaborated on the different steps undertaken to preserve the tourism leadership position of Aruba. Among others, more attention was given to the Cruise Conversion Program, where now will give more exact data on how many cruise ship tourists will in fact return to Aruba as regular tourists. They also produced an accommodations and attractions guide, which eliminates the necessity of each member to produce their own pamphlets. This guide is especially useful during international marketing events. In addition, AHATA invested, along with ATA and partners, in a marketing especially directed for this period, to ensure that our high season will not suffer the effects not only of the Natalee Holloway case, but also the problems of high fuel costs and hurricane effects. For example, some chartered flights were cancelled due to Cancun being cancelled. For some charter companies, their sales scheme ties some destinations with others.
AHATA OBJECTIVES
Jorge Pesquera also spoke of the objectives of AHATA for 2006, among others:
• Increase member services
• Solidify the program ‘Meet Aruba’ which sells Aruba in the world of incentives, which according to Pesquera benefits everyone (AHATA attracted Pesquera for exactly this reason, given his experience and success in Puerto Rico in this area). According to the AHATA CEO, the market of Meetings and Conventions brings thousands upon thousands of executives to Aruba.
• Continue with the organization of courses and educational seminars to increase awareness
• And greatly contribute to help straighten out Aruba’s image, which was unjustly harmed, due to the case of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Pesquera believes that it is time to continue heavily investing but more importantly intelligently to recuperate the image of Aruba as a safe destination. As such, AHATA will work on crisis management.
At the end of the presentations, the new management of AHATA was introduced, who was said to be presided by Alfonso Riverol. The first vice president is Ewald Biemans of Bucuti Beach Resort; the second vice president are Warrant Stanley of Atlantis Submarines; the new treasurer is Rick Zeolla of Marriottl the secretary is Alex Nieuwmeyer of Divi Resorts, and directors are Eduardo de Veer of Meta Corp; Bill Carson of CMB; Scott Allen of Hyatt; Peter Steinmetz of AAA N.V.; Werner Hein of Occidental Allegro, and Lisette Malmberg of De Palm Tours, as the only woman in AHATA management.
Organization preparing for difficult period ahead due to the effects of the Natalee Holloway case
Bon Dia Aruba
12/01/2005
O R A N J E S T A D – A new president and new challenges. This was the conclusion of the General Assembly of the Association of Hotel and Tourism of Aruba, AHATA. The general assembly took place at the Radisson Resort, during which Jeff Lesker handed over the reins of he tourism organization to Alfonso Riverol of the Wyndam Resort, who will from now on direct AHATA.
The meeting was marked with optimism because of recent successes, for Aruba as a destination as well as for AHATA as an organization, given how financially it achieved a surplus. This surplus, according to treasurer Ewald Biemans, is of vital importance to withstand tough times ahead, because if something was highlighted during the meeting, is that even the most optimistic hoteliers believe that the impact of the case of Natalee Holloway will surely have an effect next year, after the moth of April. AHATA CEO Jorge Pesquera opened the meeting saying that AHATA exists to bring value to its members, but more importantly, the organization is part of the heart and soul of Aruba and as such, the motto of “Aruba is Us” speaks the words of the commitment we have to our island. AHATA executives Scott Wiggins and Amy Ras-Speyer gave an illustration of all the marketing efforts that AHATA undertook in 2005, along with ATA and other partners, such as airlines. In addition, they showed what the plans are for 2006.
Warren Stanley, who presides over the marketing commission elaborated on the different steps undertaken to preserve the tourism leadership position of Aruba. Among others, more attention was given to the Cruise Conversion Program, where now will give more exact data on how many cruise ship tourists will in fact return to Aruba as regular tourists. They also produced an accommodations and attractions guide, which eliminates the necessity of each member to produce their own pamphlets. This guide is especially useful during international marketing events. In addition, AHATA invested, along with ATA and partners, in a marketing especially directed for this period, to ensure that our high season will not suffer the effects not only of the Natalee Holloway case, but also the problems of high fuel costs and hurricane effects. For example, some chartered flights were cancelled due to Cancun being cancelled. For some charter companies, their sales scheme ties some destinations with others.
AHATA OBJECTIVES
Jorge Pesquera also spoke of the objectives of AHATA for 2006, among others:
• Increase member services
• Solidify the program ‘Meet Aruba’ which sells Aruba in the world of incentives, which according to Pesquera benefits everyone (AHATA attracted Pesquera for exactly this reason, given his experience and success in Puerto Rico in this area). According to the AHATA CEO, the market of Meetings and Conventions brings thousands upon thousands of executives to Aruba.
• Continue with the organization of courses and educational seminars to increase awareness
• And greatly contribute to help straighten out Aruba’s image, which was unjustly harmed, due to the case of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Pesquera believes that it is time to continue heavily investing but more importantly intelligently to recuperate the image of Aruba as a safe destination. As such, AHATA will work on crisis management.
At the end of the presentations, the new management of AHATA was introduced, who was said to be presided by Alfonso Riverol. The first vice president is Ewald Biemans of Bucuti Beach Resort; the second vice president are Warrant Stanley of Atlantis Submarines; the new treasurer is Rick Zeolla of Marriottl the secretary is Alex Nieuwmeyer of Divi Resorts, and directors are Eduardo de Veer of Meta Corp; Bill Carson of CMB; Scott Allen of Hyatt; Peter Steinmetz of AAA N.V.; Werner Hein of Occidental Allegro, and Lisette Malmberg of De Palm Tours, as the only woman in AHATA management.
Karin Janssen named Woman of the Year
DIARIO Aruba
12/01/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN) DIARIO’s Woman of the Year for this year is Karin P. J. Janssen who is chief prosecutor for the Public Ministry.
The reason Mrs. Karin Janssen was selected as Woman of the Year is for the work conducted during this year, but especially for the firm position she too un a case that has surely had a big impact on Aruba and internationally, the case of the missing American woman called Natalee.
It is known that Karin Janssen was and still is the chief of the investigation into the controversial case of Natalee’s disappearance.
There is much pressure on chief prosecutor, from the outside and even within the Public Ministry related to the case in question and she passed very difficult moments where even the government wanted to remove her.
Chief prosecutor Janssen worked hard alongside police to hand over proof on the case of Natalee and although on all sides they encountered many obstacles, they did not lose patience and continued working hard to solve a great problem in which the people of Aruba are not at fault.
None of the negative developments nor the great pressure have made this lady succumb and she has fostered respect and shown great courage.
Once again, a woman in a key position demonstrates that they can maintain a cool head and continue ahead to do their duty and their professional obligation, like Mrs. Karin Janssen has shown during the year.
DIARIO Aruba
12/01/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN) DIARIO’s Woman of the Year for this year is Karin P. J. Janssen who is chief prosecutor for the Public Ministry.
The reason Mrs. Karin Janssen was selected as Woman of the Year is for the work conducted during this year, but especially for the firm position she too un a case that has surely had a big impact on Aruba and internationally, the case of the missing American woman called Natalee.
It is known that Karin Janssen was and still is the chief of the investigation into the controversial case of Natalee’s disappearance.
There is much pressure on chief prosecutor, from the outside and even within the Public Ministry related to the case in question and she passed very difficult moments where even the government wanted to remove her.
Chief prosecutor Janssen worked hard alongside police to hand over proof on the case of Natalee and although on all sides they encountered many obstacles, they did not lose patience and continued working hard to solve a great problem in which the people of Aruba are not at fault.
None of the negative developments nor the great pressure have made this lady succumb and she has fostered respect and shown great courage.
Once again, a woman in a key position demonstrates that they can maintain a cool head and continue ahead to do their duty and their professional obligation, like Mrs. Karin Janssen has shown during the year.
11.30.2005
Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) supports Aruba and the Caribbean with letter to mrs. Condoleezza Rice
A.M. Digital
11/30/2005
The Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) provided us with copy of a letter that was sent to Secretary of State, mrs. Condoleezza Rice by Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization. The letter which is self explanatory is hereby published in its entirety:
November 18, 2005
Dear Secretary Rice:
Over the course of the past several months, the American media has covered the disappearance of Ms Natalee Holloway who visited Aruba on a class trip. We share the grief of her family -- especially that of her mother -- who clearly is anguished by her disappearance. We understand and applaud Mrs. Holloway’s success in keeping Natalee’s story in the headlines. That success would be the wish of any parent under similar circumstances.
We are most concerned by two developments, however.
The first relates to calls by some media in the United States to “boycott” the Caribbean. Over the same period of time, one television station regularly introduced the Holloway story over the banner “Caribbean CoverUp?” as if the entire Caribbean should be brought into a matter that affects only one of our island nations. Although this practice of extending a particular situation to the entire geographic region is unmerited, we understand United States’ laws regarding freedom of the press and we have been addressing that matter ourselves.
The other related matter that is particularly distressing is the call for boycotts of Aruba from persons holding elected offices as in the case of the Governor of the State of Alabama. You will understand that the people of Aruba feel particularly selected for persecution when a casual perusal of the FBI’s list of missing persons (http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/kidnap/kidmiss.htm) shows scores of persons who have been missing throughout the United States for far longer periods and there is no call for boycotts of those States in which the missing person was last seen.
Aruba is a strong supporter of the United States in hemispheric matters and depends heavily on its growing tourism business to sustain its economy. Aruba, in fact, is one of the great success stories of our hemisphere particularly as a people who are committed to democratic ideals and economic self-determination. Moreover, there is no one in our region who believes that any government official in Aruba or in any other Caribbean country would be engaged in protecting the wrongdoing of any individual citizen while risking the entire national economy.
It is for these reasons that we wish to express our strongest possible outrage at these calls for boycotts, particularly from elected officials within the United States. We are confident that wise counsel from your good offices to those individuals and officials regarding these international matters would prove helpful in preventing these troublesome developments.
Sincerely,
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Secretary General
CARIBBEAN TOURISM ORGANIZATION
A.M. Digital
11/30/2005
The Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) provided us with copy of a letter that was sent to Secretary of State, mrs. Condoleezza Rice by Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization. The letter which is self explanatory is hereby published in its entirety:
November 18, 2005
Dear Secretary Rice:
Over the course of the past several months, the American media has covered the disappearance of Ms Natalee Holloway who visited Aruba on a class trip. We share the grief of her family -- especially that of her mother -- who clearly is anguished by her disappearance. We understand and applaud Mrs. Holloway’s success in keeping Natalee’s story in the headlines. That success would be the wish of any parent under similar circumstances.
We are most concerned by two developments, however.
The first relates to calls by some media in the United States to “boycott” the Caribbean. Over the same period of time, one television station regularly introduced the Holloway story over the banner “Caribbean CoverUp?” as if the entire Caribbean should be brought into a matter that affects only one of our island nations. Although this practice of extending a particular situation to the entire geographic region is unmerited, we understand United States’ laws regarding freedom of the press and we have been addressing that matter ourselves.
The other related matter that is particularly distressing is the call for boycotts of Aruba from persons holding elected offices as in the case of the Governor of the State of Alabama. You will understand that the people of Aruba feel particularly selected for persecution when a casual perusal of the FBI’s list of missing persons (http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/kidnap/kidmiss.htm) shows scores of persons who have been missing throughout the United States for far longer periods and there is no call for boycotts of those States in which the missing person was last seen.
Aruba is a strong supporter of the United States in hemispheric matters and depends heavily on its growing tourism business to sustain its economy. Aruba, in fact, is one of the great success stories of our hemisphere particularly as a people who are committed to democratic ideals and economic self-determination. Moreover, there is no one in our region who believes that any government official in Aruba or in any other Caribbean country would be engaged in protecting the wrongdoing of any individual citizen while risking the entire national economy.
It is for these reasons that we wish to express our strongest possible outrage at these calls for boycotts, particularly from elected officials within the United States. We are confident that wise counsel from your good offices to those individuals and officials regarding these international matters would prove helpful in preventing these troublesome developments.
Sincerely,
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Secretary General
CARIBBEAN TOURISM ORGANIZATION
While Minister of Tourism continues to hide
Tourism is faltering
DIARIO Aruba
12/30/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN) – Aruba’s pillar of the economy, tourism, is not well placed and as aren’t its foundation as was the case 7 years ago, because in the last 4 years tourism has been going backwards.
Not even when the MEP government tried to let people believe that tourism has increased, the reality shows that hotels are not filling up anymore as they once were, and worse now in this season in which it’s increasingly clear that things do not bode well.
Cruise ship tourism has decreased and the quantity of passengers who have transited [through Aruba] has also dropped, while hotels which were once at 100% occupancy in high season, now painfully reach a 60% rate of occupancy.
While the Minister of tourism remains in hiding, same with the Attorney General who is hiding because of her mismanagement of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the situation in our economy in what relates to tourism is going backwards day after day.
Global influences such as what happened in Mexico, where in the area of Cancun, which is the center of tourism of Mexico and remained almost completely destroyed after a hurricane did not lead to more tourism for Aruba.
What happened in Europe where there where bombings in different countries and public disorder in France didn’t lead to more tourism for Aruba either.
A hurricane which destroyed many tourist areas in the US, such as New Orleans and neighbouring cities where the casino industry had largely flourished, didn’t lead to more tourists from the US to come to Aruba either.
All these are factors that indicate that the MEP government is undertaking a disastrous management in the area of tourism and they haven’t showed any intention of doing anything to save the Aruba’s pillar of the economy either.
The year 2006 will open with many difficulties where the government will increase taxes on a long list of product imports which people use, and also in the hotel sector and this will turn tourism even more expensive for those who want to visit Aruba and the consequence of the developments and negative effects for tourism will have even more impact in the year 2006.
Those who work directly in the tourism industry and also thousands of others who indirectly work with tourism have to take into account that next year something has to be done to rectify the situation otherwise the working class will find themselves in serious problems because it will get to a point where hotels and other companies who work in the tourist sector will have to take measures to lower expenses and will start sending workers home.
Tourism is faltering while a little group in the MEP government continues to fill their pockets and the last loan of 84 million will let them continue their party for some time, until the time that the elastic patience of the people breaks and the weight of the charge on the back of the people becomes too much to bear.
Tourism is faltering
DIARIO Aruba
12/30/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN) – Aruba’s pillar of the economy, tourism, is not well placed and as aren’t its foundation as was the case 7 years ago, because in the last 4 years tourism has been going backwards.
Not even when the MEP government tried to let people believe that tourism has increased, the reality shows that hotels are not filling up anymore as they once were, and worse now in this season in which it’s increasingly clear that things do not bode well.
Cruise ship tourism has decreased and the quantity of passengers who have transited [through Aruba] has also dropped, while hotels which were once at 100% occupancy in high season, now painfully reach a 60% rate of occupancy.
While the Minister of tourism remains in hiding, same with the Attorney General who is hiding because of her mismanagement of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the situation in our economy in what relates to tourism is going backwards day after day.
Global influences such as what happened in Mexico, where in the area of Cancun, which is the center of tourism of Mexico and remained almost completely destroyed after a hurricane did not lead to more tourism for Aruba.
What happened in Europe where there where bombings in different countries and public disorder in France didn’t lead to more tourism for Aruba either.
A hurricane which destroyed many tourist areas in the US, such as New Orleans and neighbouring cities where the casino industry had largely flourished, didn’t lead to more tourists from the US to come to Aruba either.
All these are factors that indicate that the MEP government is undertaking a disastrous management in the area of tourism and they haven’t showed any intention of doing anything to save the Aruba’s pillar of the economy either.
The year 2006 will open with many difficulties where the government will increase taxes on a long list of product imports which people use, and also in the hotel sector and this will turn tourism even more expensive for those who want to visit Aruba and the consequence of the developments and negative effects for tourism will have even more impact in the year 2006.
Those who work directly in the tourism industry and also thousands of others who indirectly work with tourism have to take into account that next year something has to be done to rectify the situation otherwise the working class will find themselves in serious problems because it will get to a point where hotels and other companies who work in the tourist sector will have to take measures to lower expenses and will start sending workers home.
Tourism is faltering while a little group in the MEP government continues to fill their pockets and the last loan of 84 million will let them continue their party for some time, until the time that the elastic patience of the people breaks and the weight of the charge on the back of the people becomes too much to bear.
Aruba losing its tranquility?
FTA worried with messages received by repeat tourists
DIARIO Aruba
12/30/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN) – In a press conference on Thursday morning, Anselmo Pontilius referred to the lack of tranquility in recent times, that tourists come to look for in Aruba, that it’s going backwards, and this can bring consequences to our economy.
Pontilius underlined that Aruba ketobay [¿] is in demand, despite the problem known worldwide, and tourists who visit our island pay their money to find peace. Nevertheless, in the press F.T.A. read in the news about a mugging on a tourist couple, which could simply be a bad symptom.
He also said that visitors invest to have a good time enjoying our beaches, but if they find a congestion from the airport until their hotel, it can take almost an hour because of traffic, then they cannot enjoy the tranquility when they have to be on the street.
Aside from this, he has encountered another type of problem in the manner of itinerant addicts, which is one of the gravest situation in our country; also, he has noticed a situation where the service is not the same that tourists are accustomed to, and a beach which is full of people, which they doesn’t care for because they comes in search of tranquility, and our tourism can go backwards.
Pontilius mentioned that tourists known in our country, because of their many long years of visiting Aruba, are sending messages to hotel employees daily.
For this reason, F.T.A. is convinced that only via a process of permanent dialogue, solutions can be found.
[note: FTA = Federacion Trahadornan di Aruba = Aruba Federation of Workers]
FTA worried with messages received by repeat tourists
DIARIO Aruba
12/30/2005
ORANJESTAD (AAN) – In a press conference on Thursday morning, Anselmo Pontilius referred to the lack of tranquility in recent times, that tourists come to look for in Aruba, that it’s going backwards, and this can bring consequences to our economy.
Pontilius underlined that Aruba ketobay [¿] is in demand, despite the problem known worldwide, and tourists who visit our island pay their money to find peace. Nevertheless, in the press F.T.A. read in the news about a mugging on a tourist couple, which could simply be a bad symptom.
He also said that visitors invest to have a good time enjoying our beaches, but if they find a congestion from the airport until their hotel, it can take almost an hour because of traffic, then they cannot enjoy the tranquility when they have to be on the street.
Aside from this, he has encountered another type of problem in the manner of itinerant addicts, which is one of the gravest situation in our country; also, he has noticed a situation where the service is not the same that tourists are accustomed to, and a beach which is full of people, which they doesn’t care for because they comes in search of tranquility, and our tourism can go backwards.
Pontilius mentioned that tourists known in our country, because of their many long years of visiting Aruba, are sending messages to hotel employees daily.
For this reason, F.T.A. is convinced that only via a process of permanent dialogue, solutions can be found.
[note: FTA = Federacion Trahadornan di Aruba = Aruba Federation of Workers]
11.29.2005
Youth Parliament makes proposal in Aruba Parliament
Regarding alcohol sale to minors
A.M. Digital
11/29/2005
In connection with the International Day of the child, the Aruba Youth Parliament met with their bigger colleagues on November 17 last. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss various topics regarding the right of the child and the implementation of them.
One of the topics that had extra attention was the sale of alcohol. Presently the legal drinking age in Aruba is 16. The Youth Parliament made a proposal to change this to 18.Youth Parliament member Angelino Vrolijk presented various examples where it was clear that the use of alcohol by youngsters will have bad consequences for their personal development and for their performance at school.
The four political fractions in Parliament, i.e. MEP, AVP, RED, and MPA agreed to work on a law proposal to change the drinking age to 18. The Parliament members also agreed that once the law is there strict control must take place and any establishment that sells alcohol to minors must be fined heavily.
The meeting was a big achievement for Youth Parliament and the youth of Aruba because by increasing the drinking age to 18 we manage to protect youngsters against dangers that they might find themselves in when under influence of alcohol.
Another proposition by Youth Parliament is that they be given more opportunities to meet with the Aruba Parliament, especially when topics are to be discussed that regard the youth of Aruba.
Regarding alcohol sale to minors
A.M. Digital
11/29/2005
In connection with the International Day of the child, the Aruba Youth Parliament met with their bigger colleagues on November 17 last. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss various topics regarding the right of the child and the implementation of them.
One of the topics that had extra attention was the sale of alcohol. Presently the legal drinking age in Aruba is 16. The Youth Parliament made a proposal to change this to 18.Youth Parliament member Angelino Vrolijk presented various examples where it was clear that the use of alcohol by youngsters will have bad consequences for their personal development and for their performance at school.
The four political fractions in Parliament, i.e. MEP, AVP, RED, and MPA agreed to work on a law proposal to change the drinking age to 18. The Parliament members also agreed that once the law is there strict control must take place and any establishment that sells alcohol to minors must be fined heavily.
The meeting was a big achievement for Youth Parliament and the youth of Aruba because by increasing the drinking age to 18 we manage to protect youngsters against dangers that they might find themselves in when under influence of alcohol.
Another proposition by Youth Parliament is that they be given more opportunities to meet with the Aruba Parliament, especially when topics are to be discussed that regard the youth of Aruba.
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