if they wanted to visit a sh!thole, why didn't they just goto North Korea???
Posted on 07/22/2008 1:48:57 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Five Koreans ― four men and one woman ― had been abducted by several unidentified kidnappers who had disguised themselves as police officers in a U.S.-Mexico border city on July 14, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Tuesday.
The official, asking not to be identified, said the abductors have demanded $30,000 in ransom, but declined to give details about the whereabouts of the South Korean nationals and their condition.
"As far as I know, the kidnappers have contacted one of the families of the hostages and asked if they were willing to meet their demands for release," he said.
"Two of the hostages identified by their family names Park and Lee, respectively, phoned Korean embassy officials stationed in Mexico. However, the remaining three didn't talk with consular staff."
The ministry said more details will come out later Wednesday.
"We've asked our embassy in Mexico to immediately send details of the incident," a spokesman told The Korea Times.
This latest kidnapping comes amid heightened fears of abductions after 23 Koreans were taken hostage in Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan last year. Taliban militants killed two of the hostages before freeing the rest in August in an apparent deal with Seoul.
The Sunday Telegraph, affiliated with the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph, reported Seoul paid $10 million in exchange for the 21 who were freed, though Seoul denied this.
Later, Taliban officials claimed the money paid was used to buy weapons and ammunition.
yckim@koreatimes.co.kr
What little law and order there was in that cesspool is breaking down. Quazi-legitimate law enforcement officials and government officials are requesting amnesty in the US by the hundreds. They’re showing up at the border claiming convincingly that their lives are forfeit if they remain in good old Mexico. It wont be long before a complete collapse takes place and we either have to seal the borders or go in and clean up the mess. Probably the later since we cannot allow the narco-thugs to take control of the oil reserves the country is sitting on.
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
Maybe because of this? Compared to Kabul? Just damn!
“This latest kidnapping comes amid heightened fears of abductions after 23 Koreans were taken hostage in Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan last year. Taliban militants killed two of the hostages before freeing the rest in August in an apparent deal with Seoul.”
I believe you are right. A couple years ago a mayor of a large Mexican city said all this immigration to the USA is simply to clean out their problem people, criminals, agitators, etc. to keep them from civil war.
Remember, last year over 50 US citizens disappeared in Mexico. One young womans vehicle was found in police impound down there. More reporters have been killed in Mexico than Iraq and Mexico is second only to Iraq in beheadings. We are such fools.
if they wanted to visit a sh!thole, why didn't they just goto North Korea???
Maybe South Korea can bomb the Mexican border. We can’t even get a chicken fence up.
Call me ignorant but what attracts a small group of Koreans to be in a U.S. Mexico border town to begin with. I am assuming it was not a major Mexican town that attracts U.S. tourists or it would have been named.
Yes, there’s more missing in this story than is in it. Where, why, how, etc? Who are these Koreans? Tourists, missionaries, what?
Reynosa/Hidalgo is a crossing point for illegals into South Texas. Wouldn’t be surprised if they show up on this side of the Rio Grande.
Yes, I’m familiar with the area. Still a lot missing from the story, even given that.
Mexico: Failed State
For years I have visited the Rio Grande Valley, as it is called by thousands of tourists (snow birds) every winter. The border towns like Reynosa are large and provide low cost dental and pharmacy services for border crossers. The cantinas usually have live music, drinking, and dancing. And the prices are slightly lower than on our side of the border. It is not hard to imagine these Koreans were soaking up some of the native color.
That said, Koreans will stand out in the crowd there as most tourists are anglo. The way they were caught does not seem to imply that they were involved in antisocial activities, what else can you do when some people wearing uniforms come up to you? Does anyone know what the time of day of this kidnapping was. If after dark than forget what I said about tourists, they were taking a risk, as most of the drug deals, prostitution, Etc. are evening activities.
I grew up in that area and there are alot of maquiladoras (US or other foreign companies in Mexico) along the Mexican border. There may be a possibility that they were in Mexico for business purposes. This is all speculation though.
NDTV:
Lee said they are now under police protection and would soon be handed over to embassy officials.
The five, including a woman, were looking for work when they were seized on July 14 in Reynosa, a city on the Mexico-US border in the state of Tamaulipas.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080058285&ch=7/23/2008%203:54:00%20PM
Reuters: They were in the used car trade and were in Mexico on business, local media reported, citing diplomatic sources.
¿Quién sabe?
In an interview with Radio Formula, Tamaulipas state attorney general Jose Herrera said the 5 were not in Mexico on business but instead were here looking to cross into the U.S. illegally.
Bingo!
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