Drug War Hits Roatan...

[RTBDiver]

. If there is another place that is as crazy as Roatan, I want to know about it, because I need some excitement.

Have you visited the US? Dogs are killed, heck pro football players run dogfighting rings. rapes? Yep Got em in the US. Roadblocks and Air travel closures, Sure thing, it happens In the Good ole US. People shot, yessiree that happens in the US too. Enjoy your visit.

It really must be pretty quiet if the things like the airport closing for one day or a couple nights with a curfew due to a political issue on the mainland made that big of an impression. As i previously mentioned, Most of the serious stuff has more to it. You mention AKR and what would happen if the people got in? Well if you were truly informed you would know that was not the intention, That was like so many things, a personal dispute And it was what? a couple years ago?. I wonder if the Rottie was kept in its own yard and did not ever wander? Sure i have heard of such things but many dogs also eat others chickens which is taken quite serious so perhaps there is even more to that story as well

 

[DocYates]

Was there last week (13th thru the 20th). We flew over that portion of the island and circled over the East end, even going down low over the "Haunted Island" to see some sunning Cayman. We never felt like we were in danger and no harm came to us. Everyone we had dealings with outside the resort were friendly and courteous.

 

[leadweight]

First off, I live in the US. At least I know how to stay out of the bad neighborhoods. The sort of things I had to endure on my last trip to Roatan would not happen here. If anyone tried it they would be arrested, and I would be packing, just in case.

Second, assumptions that the Anthony's Key shoot out was no more than a personal dispute is exactly the kind of happy horse flop that Roatan boosters like to spread around in this forum. The idea that every violent crime has a story behind it is a rather novel way of dismissing violent crime. How about A raped B because he thought he could get away with it. Is that what you mean by a story? C killed D because D called C's mother a prostitute, so it was justified. What are you thinking? I suppose you think that because its the internet and you (RTBDiver) don't have to look me in the eye, or see anyone who reads those kind of statements roll their eyes, its OK to say such things.

Its also completely absurd to compare Roatan to a major city in the US or anywhere. Compare it to am isolated town of the same population or most of the islands in the Caribbean and Roatan starts to look like a comparatively dangerous place.

First step to cleaning up that island is to get rid of all of the expats that work there illegally. Its starting to happen. Locals never gave me a problem, only the expats.

 

[beth_castroll]

We just flew in from Roatan last night. We were in West End for a week. It was our second trip there. I never once questioned our safety either trip and this time there was more police presence on cruiseship days to protect the tourist dollars. We did hear about someone missing a large amount of cocaine and some violence on the other side of the island, however I was never concerned. I live in Oakland, Ca around 55th Ave and there is constant drug war and killings around 79th. 4 cops were shot there last year one day and it made national news. There is a huge difference in the 25 odd blocks between the drug war and my house....I feel safe here too.
I think things like this, Coups on the mainland, H1N1, Juarez Mexico issues and a whole host of media blown outta proportion issues kill amazing tourist towns like West End. You can be scared, or you can dive.

 

[dmoore19]

I think we Americans expect to see things done the same way as they are done by Law Enforcement in the US. While it can be a bit disconcerting to see people running around in fatigues and carrying automatic weapons, it isn't out of the ordinary in the places like Honduras. People need to remember where they are when they travel. While on my trip to Roatan I didn't have any problems and didn't see anything out of the ordinary I am also smart enough to know things can happen no matter where you go. Especially when traveling to a 3rd world nation. I do think things are blown out of proportion though. Drug deals go bad and people get killed everywhere. Be glad the authorities are doing something.

 

[RTBDiver]

assumptions that the Anthony's Key shoot out was no more than a personal dispute is exactly the kind of happy horse flop that Roatan boosters like to spread around in this forum. .

Actually it is fact known by those of us that have real experience on Roatan. I am not sure what your problem with the Island is but if you look at past posts we see you have had trouble on Roatan AND you also mentioned about the Fuel issues that were happening due to the political issues which were also false as there were never any fuel issues. Would you like to comment about other issues in which you really have no knowledge of? Maybe you would like to get into the global warming thing as is seems that topic is open for many with no factual information

PLEASE, Post something relevent to this year that you actually know about

ALSO, ALMOST every post you have made about Roatan has mentioned Illegal workers. FIRST let me say , your US of A has plenty of those, THEN Let me say, ARE YOU JUST MAD FOR BEING CAUGHT?

 

[leadweight]

RTBDiver,

I think your problem is called "investment". Because you have property there your investment is so great that reality no longer matters. Its kind of like the flame wars that take place in gear forums when someone says that item X is a pile of junk. Anyone that has one gets upset, don't mind the facts.

Your insistence that I don't know anything is no more than a rude effort to shut someone up. I find it completely wrong that many of the businesses, most of which are foreign owned, employ illegal foreigners when there is an adequate work force on the island. It may be difficult to find an experienced diving instructor, but one does not need much of an education to open beer bottles or DM. The illegal workers in Roatan are overqualified and are taking what are locally considered to be good jobs away from Hondurans. Illegal workers in the USA are generally uneducated and working in the least desirable occupations. In the US they are present because survival in their poor home countries is nearly impossible. In Honduras they are from rich countries looking for an extended vacation. There is no comparison between the two situations, just as it is silly to compare crime in a large city to an island with a relatively small population.

I do know what I am talking about. People down there threatened to assault me, destroy valuable personal property and verbally abused me. One character had his girlfriend come up to me in a bar and scream in my ear in hopes that I would get rude with her. Meanwhile he quietly positioned himself behind me, intending to spring into action, probably with the excuse that he was defending her honor. This was done with the complicity of the people working in the bar. Everyone involved was an illegal foreign worker. It got so bad that I could not go out at night and had to end my last trip 3 days early. During that time I did nothing illegal or even anything I could be subject to a civil suit for. I did nothing to the people who were causing the trouble. They simply decided to insert themselves in my business for their own reasons. I received written threats by electronic means months after leaving the island.

So I know nothing, other than that I was a victim.

 

[Doc]

How this thread has morphed from a dubious story that doesn't relate to diving... ahhh- the internet.

It is safe for divers to vacation and visit to Roatan.

Living there and working there might possibly increase the quotient of danger.

Every time this thread is bumped by irrelevant posts, it confuses the issue in the casual reader's minds. By re-stirring this it lends credence- very few read an entire thread, fewer still will realize how little this has to do with reality or any visitor's experience.

>I no longer own any Roatan property, I have absolutely no interests. I travel to a lot of islands for diving- my behavior and expectation on Roatan is no different than any other island<

It is safe for divers to vacation and visit to Roatan.

 

[LiLaP]

My brother Luca is disappeared in Roatan (Honduras), probably on 16th March 2010, with Mauriliuo Mirabella, also disapperead.
If you live in Roatan, maybe you know him and you can help me to know something more of his disappearance!
I fear it's connected with this drug war.

Everybody who has news about him that are useful to find him is invited to contact me and my mother without hesitation.
Please let me know also when it is the last time you have seen him.

Thanks.
Licia Pagliaro and Francesca Vaccaro

- my mail address is liciapagliaro@hotmail.com.
- my mother's one: francesca.vcr@libero.it

 

[Didje]

This is getting awkward.