Informe de Seguridad

[Lostagain]

Heads up everyone. Today I received a memo from the administrator of the condo where I live entitled "Informe de Seguridad." It is too long to translate here but it says in effect:

The commander of the 3rd Brigade (which is located about 1/2K form where I live) said the military intercepted a call from Mono Jojoy, the alias for the leader of the FARC, in which various units have been instructed to iniciate an offensive with the objective to paralize public transport, energy services, and communication. They will be using car bombs or other types of explosives which can be left in public places. They are also supposed to attack bridges, electric transmission towers and sub-stations, broadcasting towers, and set up road blocks. Multinational companies and large national businesses are supposed to be especially targeted.

Some of the recommendations included in the army communique include:
1. Don't take trips especially on the highways.
2. Don't travel to fincas for recreation.
3. Avoid going to places where you will be detained for a long time.

The remainder of the instructions pertain more to those of us who live here or to evacuation of areas when there may be a bomb.

The communique is dated April 12,2002, and says that the alert should be maintained until the 20th of April. Of course, it was distributed today, a couple of days to late and after I took a delightful trip to Pance via a rutted dirt road, exactly the kind to avoid per the notice. At least I didn't have any problems.

If you plan to visit any time soon, be very careful.

Chao from Cali, Lost Again/Fred

[In the Know 2]

Your post shows the kind of stupidity that could get you a six month course in Spanish for free but the hard way and the room and board probably would not be very pleasant.

What do you think a a FARC patrol would have down with you "lost again"? Why do certain members of this forum insist on leaving the city limits of the major Colombian cities?
OK nothing happened but who needs the risk?

There are AMERICANS being held in Colombia right now by the FARC. Oliver North talked about it a few months ago on a news program. It just doesn't get the headlines.

Oh well, it is your sorry you know what if you get nabbed.

[Lostagain]

In the Know, so you think it is any safer in the cities? Ask one of the 12 state assembly members who are on a long term vacation as guests of the FARC; or Alvaro Uribe's driver, while they were campaigning in a city. Indeed, one of the most dangerous places to be in Colombia right now is Bogota. It has been a major target of the FARC in recent weeks with many bombs and assassination attempts. Do you think that the FARC, AUC, and ELN don't have units operating in the cities? Though it may not have been on the Olie Show, it happens to be an unfortunate reality. The cities are not really any safer and if you think they are, you are being very naive.

This is a country with a war going on and there is a high level of danger no matter where you are. (I suggest you read the U.S State Department Country Conditions Report from their web site if you have any doubts.) When you live here you can choose to hide out in the Intercontinental in Cali (about 6 blocks from where the 12 were kidnaped) or you can try to live as normal a life as possible. In my view, one is no safer in the Intercontinental than I am in my apartment, in fact, probably less so. (So you think the vigilancia company really is able to screen out all the FARC operatives whose job it is to find out who, among the hotel's guests, it would be nice to invite for Spanish lessons at a remote mountain retreat?)

While living here, you find out as much as possible, though it is far from 100% reliable, about where it is "safe" at any given time to go, where the FARC were last operating, what the AUC has been up to, etc. Then you have to take your chances and accept the consequences if you guess wrong; but isn't that what life is all about anyway?

There are Americans, Europeans, and Colombians being held by the FARC, AUC, and ELN and, you are right, it doesn't make the headlines in the U.S., though it does here. If you looked at the circumstances of each kidnaping, you would find that a significant number were taken within city limits or very near a metropolitan area. There are urban gangs whose primary occupation is to kidnap people regularly and auction them to the FARC, ELN, and AUC, who, in turn, hold them for ransome. It's their equivalent to a bake sale. That fact is also something which doesn't make the headlines up north, or, perhaps, get discussed on the Olie Show.

Bottom line, if you are not prepared to accept the risk of being kidnapped, you probably shouldn't come here. Having a gagle of bodyguards around you doesn't make it any safer, whether in a city or on a finca. It is f***ing dangerous here. That being said, for those of us who live here, we choose to try to live as normal a life as possible and simply have to deal with the element of danger as best we can. Indeed, it may be, to use your word, "stupid," but if safety is your criteria, then it is "stupid" to come here in the first place.

Gotta go back to Pance today. So, be well and watch out for what you hear on the Olie Show, he doesn't exactly have a reputation for always telling the truth.

Chao, Lost Again, Fred.

[mustang]

Hey hermanos, I'm not an expert on FARC, so pardon this stupid question. Have they ever downed any aircraft? I mean are they equipped enough to do this?

Personally, my greatest fear about going to Colombia, especially now, would be that they may be capable of bringing down an American Airlines jet. Once on the ground, I don't feel as threatened.

A novia of mine in Cali actually wrote back to me saying it may be better if I don't go now (end of May). Also, I know the elections are at that time.

[Lostagain]

The FARC hasn't claimed publicly to have high tech means to bring down planes such as Stinger missiles, but our fine international arms merchants certainly wouldn't hestiate to sell what ever they could, if the price was right. For example, in the El Pais today was a report that some pendejo in Nicaragua sold 3,000 AK-47's to the FARC last November.

So far only small arms have been used againtst aircraft, though more in connection with the military and herbicide sprayers. I don't think the FARC would be so foolish as to try to take out a US flagged airliner. The risk of direct and immediate US intervention is too high. They have hijacked commuter planes like ATR's which fly from small town to small town. That's how they recently kidnapped a senator.

That being said, I think Mustang's novia is right in advising that travel be postponed until after the election. Last I heard even Uribe is cancelling campaign travel in the name of security.

Chao, Lost Again/Fred

[LAI]

Last week about 100 people where stopped by the guerilla close to medellin. They where doing a peace walk, and amongst them was a "gringo". One of the first people they let go was the "gringo".

I doubt that the guerrillas would abduct americans. Someone said there are americans currenly kidnapped. If this was true, it would definitely make the headlines, unless the kidnapped where not civilians.

The victims are eurotrash, But I do remember hearing something about a gringo being held captive. Don't quote me as I'm not 100% sure.

Nelson

How do you dial to a cell phone in Colombia from the US?

[STM]

101-5992-011-573-xxx-xxxx

or

101-6868-011-573-xxx-xxxx

each is 18 cents per minute

57 colombia
3 cell phone

Thanks stm.........