17 U.S. & Canadian missionaries held hostage in Haiti.

[AU9377 4,979]

They have demanded a ransom of $17 million. The group includes 5 children.  16 are U.S. citizens and 1 is Canadian.

If Haiti cannot secure the release of these people, we should first ensure their safe return.  Thereafter we should use special forces to eradicate the problem gang and serve notice that this behavior will not be tolerated. 

Your thoughts?

https://apnews.com/article/religion-caribbean-port-au-prince-kidnapping-haiti-b46f05450313bf8bb30f469376d6a449

[CoffeeTiger 5,135]

It's a sad situation all around. I'm absolutely flabbergasted that these missionaries were:

1: In Haiti to begin with as the nation is a failed state with no real governing authority, and dozens of gangs fighting for control over the country. It's a far more dangerous country than even places like Afghanistan and Iraq. The article mentions the Church organization had stopped sending missionaries to Haiti in the past when violence and instability was bad, and they absolutely should have done the same now. 

2: That they brought their children with them. If they feel the high risk to their own well being is worth the mission they set out to do that's one thing, but to bring along children was a really irresponsible thing for the missionaries to do. 

 

Hopefully our government is able to get them released safely. You can't pay the ransom as that just encourages more kidnappings and endangers Americans all over the world who are then seen as a juicy potential payday by gangs and criminals.

 

[AU9377 4,979]

28 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

It's a sad situation all around. I'm absolutely flabbergasted that these missionaries were:

1: In Haiti to begin with as the nation is a failed state with no real governing authority, and dozens of gangs fighting for control over the country. It's a far more dangerous country than even places like Afghanistan and Iraq. The article mentions the Church organization had stopped sending missionaries to Haiti in the past when violence and instability was bad, and they absolutely should have done the same now. 

2: That they brought their children with them. If they feel the high risk to their own well being is worth the mission they set out to do that's one thing, but to bring along children was a really irresponsible thing for the missionaries to do. 

 

Hopefully our government is able to get them released safely. You can't pay the ransom as that just encourages more kidnappings and endangers Americans all over the world who are then seen as a juicy potential payday by gangs and criminals.

 

I agree.  The one thing that I have always found impressive when traveling abroad has been the willingness of the State Dept thru the U.S. Embassy to assist U.S. citizens.  I have been in Romania when a group of teenagers with knives tried to hold up the train I was on.  Those teenagers first went down the aisles and told every American to get off the train and go.  I asked later why they did that and was told that the U.S. FBI would have investigated and demanded their extradition if they had harmed any American on the train.  They couldn't have been more than 15 or 16 years old, but they knew that.

I was in the Cheq Republic and went to a nightclub.  There were 4 or 5 Americans, 3 Brits and 1 guy from Canada.  One of the British girls spoke German and she and her boyfriend were allowed to go in.  When we approached, a group of 10 or so Russian mob thugs rushed us and basically roughed us up.  A couple broken noses, cuts and my roommate had a broken arm.  Police started arriving and no cab would take anyone anywhere.  That is, until I gave one $100 and told him to drive us to a hospital.  Another roommate of mine stayed and spoke with the police.  That turned out to be a good decision.  By the time they put my friend's arm in a cast at the hospital, American embassy representatives were there.  The police requested that they file a report so that U.S. law enforcement would investigate the club, which was being run by Russian mafia.

There are other examples, but both of those examples above were the result of the respect that came with having a U.S passport.  That respect was not the result of Americans being heavy handed or unduly burdening the local officials, but was due to the good faith that existed between the local officials and the U.S. authorities.  My concern is that if this type behavior is allowed to take place in Haiti, an island country not far from the U.S., we will be seen as weak and this type thing will happen more and more.

No U.S. flagged ship has been boarded by Somali pirates since the Maersk Alabama hijacking in 2009 because they know it isn't worth the consequences.

[PUB78 1,361]

19 hours ago, AU9377 said:

They have demanded a ransom of $17 million. The group includes 5 children.  16 are U.S. citizens and 1 is Canadian.

If Haiti cannot secure the release of these people, we should first ensure their safe return.  Thereafter we should use special forces to eradicate the problem gang and serve notice that this behavior will not be tolerated. 

Your thoughts?

https://apnews.com/article/religion-caribbean-port-au-prince-kidnapping-haiti-b46f05450313bf8bb30f469376d6a449

Rescue the hostages and take no prisoners of their captors.