Arubans Protest

WSFA TV reports that Beth Holloway Twitty's comments yesterday, calling the Kalpoe brothers "criminals," didn't sit well with some of the island locals.
When Deepak and Satish Kalpoe arrived home after 26 days in jail, two mothers had almost opposite reactions. Nadira Ramirez, the Kalpoe brothers' mother says, "I can't even explain how happy to see them, to hug them."

Ramirez called her sons innocent. Natalee Holloway's mother called them criminals.

"Help me by not allowing these two to get away with this crime," said Beth Twitty.

...About 200 Arubans, angered by Twitty's remarks, protested Tuesday outside a courthouse in the island's capital. Demonstrators wrapped themselves in Aruban flags and sang the national anthem. Some carried signs reading "respect our dutch laws or go home" and "innocent until proven guilty."

According to the AP:

Tourism accounts for 70 percent of the gross domestic product of Aruba, a Dutch protectorate of 97,000. The island welcomes 728,000 visitors each year and an additional 550,000 cruise ship passengers. More than 70 percent are from the United States.

Angry Arubans protesting an American whose daughter was the victim of foul play on their "happy island" doesn't exactly promote their tourist trade.

What kind of person would carry a sign telling a mother to go home, without the body of her daughter?

I don't blame Beth Holloway Twitty for being frustrated. Her comments need to be taken in the context of her nightmarish situation. The Arubans should cut her some slack.

AP quotes Orlando Flanigan as saying, "all out hearts, all out cooperation, everything [to help find Natalee]. It's time we got some respect back. They are making us look like a banana republic. We are an educated and cultured people, many of us speak four or five languages."

John Maywether, another protester, told the crowd that Aruba is not an island of criminals. He said, "We have 96 (prison) cells and 53 percent of them are occupied by non-Arubans. We are here to ask that you trust our legal system."

How does one respect a legal system that frees the suspects for TEN DAYS before arresting them again? The explanation for such an idiotic move was that this was a method used by authorities to gather evidence on Joran van der Sloot,and Satish and Deepak Kalpoe.

How lame! It gave the suspects an opportunity to destroy evidence.

The media are not making Aruba look like a banana republic. The island's inhabitants are doing that.

If Arubans are such an "educated and cultured" people, why did they botch the Natalee Holloway case so badly?

I think Americans should spend their vacation dollars elsewhere.