ORANJESTAD, Aruba (16 June 2005) -- Tourists returning from Aruba have told CDNN that much of the island looks like a ghost town as the investigation into the disappearance of American teen Natalee Holloway drags on. According to reports from travel agents, thousands of North American and European tourists have switched to other holiday destinations that are untainted by what many are calling a botched police investigation and a deliberate cover up. On June 10, Aruban Minister of Justice Rudy Croes told reporters that one of the three suspects had confessed to murdering Holloway and would lead them to the body. But a few hours later, Croes backed away from the statement saying that he had been the victim of a "misinformation campaign". Meanwhile, several organizations including an Alabama radio station and an Oregon consumer group have launched tourism boycotts of Aruba. "The only appropriate response for the US to make to Aruban authorities is to impose a stringent tourism boycott until a more competent, informative, cooperative investigation into the disappearance, and probable homicide, of Natalee Holloway is instituted," said the Oregon group. Satish Kalpoe (left), Joran Van Der Sloot (middle) and Deepak Kalpoe (right). | | Natalee Holloway According to several media reports, one of the suspects, Joran Van Der Sloot, had a personal web site that promoted gang culture and violence including gang rapes. The web site was removed from the internet, allegedly by Van Der Sloot's father, within hours after he was arrested. All three suspects told police they took Holloway back to her hotel and implicated security guards who worked there. Later they changed their stories saying they took Holloway to a lighthouse in a remote part of the island. Police have searched the home of Joran Van Der Sloot, however, no one has been charged in the case and lawyers for all of the suspects say their clients are innocent. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
