I live very close to the community where Natalee Holloway's family lives. I shop at one of the grocery stores mentioned in the linked article. Everywhere there are yellow ribbons and storefront signs urging people to pray for Natalee. It is a tragedy that strikes very deeply here in central Alabama.
But the call Friday by Alabama's legislature for a boycott of Aruba is just lashing out irrationally. If the island's officials were stonewalling, that would be appropriate. But Aruba seems to be bending over backwards to cooperate in this investigation. No good will come from putting pressure on Aruba's critical tourism industry.
But people are frustrated and feel like they have to do something, anything. It would be a great shame if the residents of an island as beautiful as Aruba (I spent my honeymoon there) became the latest victims of this tragedy.
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1122110260178410.xml&coll=2
House calls for boycott of Aruba
Saturday, July 23, 2005
HANNAH WOLFSON
News staff writer
State legislators passed a resolution Friday asking Alabama residents not to visit Aruba out of solidarity with the family of missing Mountain Brook teen Natalee Holloway.
Meanwhile, some Mountain Brook grocery stores have pulled a tabloid newspaper containing a story about Holloway out of respect for her friends and family.
The resolution passed by the state House of Representatives expresses concern that no one has been charged in Holloway's May 30 disappearance.
< snip >
Aruba's prime minister late Friday urged investigators to give the FBI all documents related to the disappearance of Holloway, according to a letter from his office. Prime Minister Nelson Oduber asked in the letter to Attorney General Karin Janssen that the bureau be allowed "complete access to the dossier, including transcripts, audio tapes or video registration of interrogations, plus all materials that are connected to this case, in as much as our judicial system allows."
