Aruba - Natalee Holloway, 18, Oranjestad, 30 May 2005 #1

[Nikki 01]

Greta was asking her bloggers to contact the Dutch embassy:

Let’s find out if YOU on GretaWire have any influence…maybe we can persuade the Dutch to really investigate.


I don’t have the Dutch Embassy email address (if one of you can find it, post it here for everyone to email the Dutch)……but here is their phone number (toll free) in Washington, DC. If you want to call the Dutch Embassy and tell them they should investigate the MISSING AMERICAN, do so. They need to do something about Aruba which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands…maybe we can persuade them. Please post here what response you get when you call. By the way, I can’t help but notice that the phone number below is “DUTCH HELP” …

all that any of us should want is a fair and complete investigation…is that asking too much? Thousands of phone calls from you may inspire the Dutch to realize how important it is to to do a full and fair investigation…if they find corruption, they may thank you….I don’t know what happened, but I do know when investigations are sloppy at best…


1-877-DUTCHHELP (phone)
1-877-388-2443 (phone)
202-362-3430 (fax)
http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/...n, Map, and Driving Directions (Washington DC (email)

 

[fran]

Greta has a poll asking if the US State Department should ask Holland to investigate this case.

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2008/12/02/vote-82/

Thanks Nikki. A little late, but I voted. Yayyy!!!! 85% want her to go on.

This case drives me crazy!!!!!!!

:woohoo:

fran

 

[fran]

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2008/12/van_der_sloots_father_hindered.php

‘Van der Sloot father hindered Natalee probe’

Thursday 04 December 2008
Dutchman Jan van der Straten, who was police commissioner on the Caribbean island of Aruba when US teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared, seriously hindered the investigation in the first few days, Aruban justice minister Rudy Croes is quoted as saying by news agency ANP.
ANP says Croes claims Van der Straten was slow to take action in order to help his friend Paul van der Sloot protect his son Joran, who was suspected of being involved in the disappearance. Such rumours have circulated on the island for some time, ANP says.
According to ANP, Croes made the statement following criticism of the Aruban police force made by Van der Straten earlier this week.
Questioning
Croes said that Joran and two other suspects were only taken in for questioning 10 days after Holloway went missing ‘when the first days are crucial in a disappearance’. And he claims he heard Van der Straten say ‘I cannot do that to my friend Paul’.
Croes also claims there were a lot of telephone conversations between Van der Sloot senior and Van der Straten and that a ‘second class’ police team was put on the investigation. ‘It was the team used during the carnival celebrations,’ ANP reports him as saying.
In addition, Croes accuses the Dutch government of failing to provide any moral support to Aruba. He says the Aruban authorities were pressurised to present Joran van der Sloot as an Aruban, not a Dutch national.
ANP does not say when and where Croes made the comments, or if it had picked them up from another source.

Now they're all going to start pointing the finger at each other.:slap:
Just like during the first few months. Aruba said Holland was in charge, Holland said Aruba was in charge.:croc:

The Blame Game!

JMHO
fran

 

[fran]

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/page/3/

No apologies from me on this one! In fact, I say “thank you Fox News for backing us up!”

by Greta Van Susteren

I have received some (not a majority) emails and comments from viewers / bloggers who are critical of our persistence in the Natalee Holloway investigation. You will receive no apology from me on this one. In fact, I appreciate what MY network has done in supporting us…let’s review some facts and perhaps you will understand.

First, some background: here are the networks that covered Natalee Holloway disappearance in 2005:

ABC News

ABC shows (eg The View, 20/20)

NBC

MS/NBC

Fox News Channel

CNN

CNN International

CNN Headline News

CBS (and their entertainment shows.)

The story reaped big ratings for everyone at first…so all of the above stuck with it during that time. But then the ratings slipped…and it got very expensive to pursue the story since it is international one and it is also disruptive to lives to have to keep traveling…and, most importantly, it just got hard to do. Leads dried up. It meant journalists had to really, really, really work — and be willing to have disappointment when leads went no where. It also meant giving up weekends etc since we also had to move on to other stories in the news. Plus, we got a great deal of resistance from the Arubans and the Dutch.

So what happened?

All of the above networks except one — FOX NEWS CHANNEL - gave up. Fox could have given up. It sure is expensive and the times are lean for all in the media. We could have spent the huge amount of money on some flashy full page ads about ourselves….we didn’t. Fox has backed ON THE RECORD and I appreciate it. This has been very, very, very expensive.

The topic may not be so hot for viewers now but it remains important. A missing American matters. If you had a family member missing, I hope we could help in some way. Yes, there are other missing Americans and I wish I could work as much on those (maybe after we get answers with Natalee Holloway, I will!)

I am proud that Fox News Channel is not so easily swayed by cost, by ratings…but rather sees the importance of doing what we can. Sometimes doing the right thing is the right thing to do. We have worked behind the scenes on this story since the beginning. Weekends have been given up by many. We have done other topics while scrambling to investigate this one. We feel a loyalty to you the audience (I would think you would feel “had” if we simply dumped it after spending so much time on it) and more importantly, we feel we owe it to those who love Natalee.

I don’t know if we will ever find out what happened to Natalee Holloway on May 30, 2005…but at least we can say at Fox News Channel with great pride “we tried…we really tried.”

So what prompted this blog entry? Read below a GretaWire comment and a quick response from me:

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I thought Greta's show was very interesting tonight! Wow! Sounds like this could be going somewhere after all.

 

[STEADFAST]

Joe Tacopina let Greta have it with both barrels for sitting on that tape for months (fake though it is, Greta promoted it as a big! exclusive!).

She had no moral ground to stand on when he called her on it - she did sit on that tape in favor of airing all of those ridiculous Sarah Palin Family Hours.

Had the tape been authentic, Greta would find herself the target of outrage right about now.

As it is, she's merely guilty of sensationalizing a fabrication during TV sweeps to grab ratings.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser..._tell_you_a_fifth_story_hell_do_it_101884.asp

Greta's series of shows about Joran's new lie, corroboration or lack thereof, and reaction were not aired -- except the first show -- during November sweeps (Oct 30-Nov 26 of 2008). Also, don't see how it would be considered wrong to try to corroborate facts before they are aired. Also, don't see how reporting on a vice-presidential candidate during election season could be considered less important than airing an uncorroborated story about a 3+ year old crime. And finally, most also of all, Joe Tacopina is in no position to call Greta out on moral grounds. He stands behind and supports some of the biggest scumbags around. (Just like in that broadcast where his only goal was to try to divert attention away from his reprehensible client.)

 

[april4sky]

Greta's series of shows about Joran's new lie, corroboration or lack thereof, and reaction were not aired -- except the first show -- during November sweeps (Oct 30-Nov 26 of 2008). Also, don't see how it would be considered wrong to try to corroborate facts before they are aired. Also, don't see how reporting on a vice-presidential candidate during election season could be considered less important than airing an uncorroborated story about a 3+ year old crime. And finally, most also of all, Joe Tacopina is in no position to call Greta out on moral grounds. He stands behind and supports some of the biggest scumbags around. (Just like in that broadcast where his only goal was to try to divert attention away from his reprehensible client.)

Absolutely right! :clap::clap::clap:

Greta and Fox are the only ones still covering this case....and thank God for that!!

Yes ratings matter in the news business....thats a given! but it's no reason to critisize the good work thats being put in by Greta and her team.
I think she cares deeply about whats happened to Natalee and her parents, as we all do who have followed this case from the beginning. She's disgusted and outraged by the oh so obvious cover up in Aruba.
More power to her!!!
Sombody needs to stay with this case!!

 

[april4sky]

Greta has a new poll asking if she should stop reporting on Natalee's case or if she should keep pressing for answers. Vote so she can keep going!!

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2008/12/04/vote-84/

Done!!

 

[thefragile7393]

Geez it took them long enough to figure out what we've known all along. Let's see them actually do something about it. In a weird way Joran has actually done this case a favor by talking to Greta because it has put more pressure on Aruba.

I know....it's amusing that they are barely acknowledging this....it's like, DUH!

 

[Tadpole12]

OTR w/ GVS: December 4, 2008.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,462349,00.html

Holloway Cover-up By Aruban Law Enforcement?



- JQK discussing recent voice mail from Hans Mos:

VAN SUSTEREN: OK. So what was your voicemail that met you today? What'd you get?

KELLY: Oh, I wouldn't call it nasty. I would say it was curt. He was clearly angry. And it was just basically two things. One, he said it was unfortunate, what I said about him on your show the other night, which, whatever it was, I stand by it 100 percent. And the second thing was, basically, Don't hold your breath on the letter you wrote me.
But Greta, this is petty stuff. Let me tell you, there's incredible news out of Aruba and the Netherlands today. And I don't know if you're aware of it. The minister of justice, Rudy Croes, has now come out and publicly said that the police chief at the time in Aruba when Natalee Holloway disappeared, Jan van der Straaten, was clearly complicit with Paulus van der Sloot in covering up for Joran in the initial days after Natalee's disappearance. He's calling for a whole new investigation, and he's basically, by stating that, corroborating what Joran told you in talking to you.




- GVS, comments on the coverup:

VAN SUSTEREN: Holland is not doing anything. They're all doing nothing because they don't care and they want this to go away.

CARDOZA: They have enough to prosecute this case. They have enough to prosecute him now.

VAN SUSTEREN: They're worried about telephone calls -

(CROSSTALK)

VAN SUSTEREN: It's horrible.

 

[DianeB]

Greta has interviewed Joran's father on multiple occasions. Where is the voiceprint analysis comparing his voice on the alleged trafficking tape to his voice in those interviews?

This latest revelation is just another sick joke courtesy of Joran Van der Sloot, who seems to be taking a page from the playbook of that other Thailand aficionado, John Mark Karr.


And yes indeed, Greta's choice to air a months-old interview with Joran (that if true would be potentially explosive) on the day she did most certainly does qualify it as a sweeps stunt.

 

[fran]

Greta had a segment about Natalee again tonite.

A member of the Dutch Parliment, Brinkman, slammed Aruba for their handling of the Holloway case.

He believes Aruba is corrupt as He!! and wants a FULL investigation.

The Dutch government knows there is corruption in Aruba and doesn't want to do anything about it. It's all a political game.

What does he make of the fact the pros is a Dutch person?

He's in with the Aruban society. The corrupt Aruban society.

What do the police gain by not investigating this case?

He doesn't know but wants and asked the Dutch to investigate.

WoW! He thinks the police chief has something to do with the case! Does he mean Dompig?????????

What can he do to push for a fair investigation?

LOL, he got lots of EMAIL!!! from America. He wants anyone who knows anything to email or write to him!!

Brinkman wants to know why Croes didn't say anything for three years about VanStratten and Paulus. This is a case in point to show the corruption in Aruba.

Hope they have a transcript of this tomorrow.

fran

PS......I don't care WHY Greta is talking about the Holloway case. The fact is she IS and it's making Holland take notice. Who knows, maybe Aruba MIGHT FINALLY do the right thing and put the GUILTY behind bars. I won't hold my breath though........fran

 

[fran]

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video...=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/ontherecord/

video

 

[fran]

Dutch Official: Aruban Holloway Investigators 'Corrupt as Hell'

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: A member of the Dutch parliament slams officials on the island of Aruba, allegations of a cover-up and corruption related to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Moments ago, we spoke to Hero Brinkman, a member of the Dutch parliament.

VAN SUSTEREN: Mr. Brinkman, thank you, sir for joining us.

HERO BRINKMAN, MEMBER OF DUTCH PARLIAMENT: Yes? Hello.

VAN SUSTEREN: Sir, let me just start first with the big question. What do you think, as a Dutch member of parliament, about Aruba?

BRINKMAN: They are corrupt as hell.

VAN SUSTEREN: So...

BRINKMAN: That's what I say about Aruba.

VAN SUSTEREN: What will you do about it, or is there anything you can do about it?

BRINKMAN: I want a full investigation about what happened with Ms. Holloway over there. It is really a disgrace that the minister of justice, Mr. Croes, told everybody, Mr. van der Straaten and the police chief are very good friends, and the investigation over there with the first ten days of the investigation went wrong because of the friendship. So I am very disappointed about that.

VAN SUSTEREN: Sir, prior to becoming a member of the Dutch parliament you had a long history as being a police officer. When you say that Aruba is, quote, "corrupt as hell," those are your words, what is it that tells you that? Why do you say they're corrupt as hell?

BRINKMAN: Because there is a lot of corruption which is going on. It is also investigated over there. Politicians and police officers have been conflicted, but they still are doing their jobs. So that is very strange.

We all know that the Dutch countrymen, the Dutch know that there is a lot of corruption over there, and they don't want to do anything about it.

VAN SUSTEREN: Why doesn't the Dutch government want to do anything about the corruption in Aruba?

BRINKMAN: I think because it is a political matter. We are now in discussions about another way to look at those islands formally.

And all the political parties within the house of parliament has said for years that they want to do it like this. Not our party. We are the only party that does not want to go that way, but the other ones did. And that's why they don't want to talk about corruption.

.............transcript of full interview at link............


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,464065,00.html

 

[Bewick Lady]

Hi all,

I haven't been a member very long and tbh I haven't read through the forum about Natalie as yet. Whilst watching the Crime channel on tv (sky 553 in UK) today I noticed they are running an hour documentry this Saturday about Natalie. I shall be recording it, if not watching it. I hope its ok the post this here just wanted to let other members in the UK about this programme.

 

[fran]

Hi all,

I haven't been a member very long and tbh I haven't read through the forum about Natalie as yet. Whilst watching the Crime channel on tv (sky 553 in UK) today I noticed they are running an hour documentry this Saturday about Natalie. I shall be recording it, if not watching it. I hope its ok the post this here just wanted to let other members in the UK about this programme.

Thank you for your post Bewick Lady and welcome to websleuths!

Does sky 553 post transcripts on their website? It would be interesting to read the UK's take on the Holloway incident.

IF sky 553 doesn't have transcripts, we would greatly appreciate, if after you watch the program, you could possible give us a summary.

Again, WELCOME! Bewick Lady.

fran

 

[fran]

I just wanted to point out to anyone interested, the discrepancies etc regarding the Holloway case. The words of Justice Minister Croes, accusing Van Stratton and Paulus VDS of thwarting the Holloway investigation, have just recenlty been brought to the attention of the U.S. public. Actually, they made it sound as if this was a new revelation. If you note the publication date of the below link, you'll see that this information has been available to the Dutch, and the Arubans, for months!

WHY AREN'T THEY INVESTIGATING?!:furious:

It's a cover-up!

Joran, Deepak, Satish, Paulus, Van Stratton, and who knows how many more people should be in jail!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, just FYI, the cover-up goes all the way to the Prime Minister of Aruba! THAT is why, on June 11th, 2005, the CONFESSION turned into a MISUNDERSTANDING. Because he said so.

"IF something bad happened to Natalee Holloway in Aruba, it could damage our 'tourist industry.'" As stated by the Prime Minister on 'Aruban' local radio!

fran

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/netherlands/081204-Holloway-Croes

Police officer thwarted Holloway investigationRNW NEWS

04-12-2008

 

[Bewick Lady]

Hi Fran,

Thank you for the lovely welcome. I shall have to check out about the transcripts.

I shall most certainly be watching or recording on Saturday night about Natalie. I shall post back once I have seen it and let you know my thoughts, no guarantee they will be very bright Lol.

I am not sure if its just the UK's take of the case that will be shown. I often watch that channel and I just assumed that these documentrys had been televised in USA.

I know that the Zodiac killings? is another documentry being shown on saturday evening also.

Anyway I shall certainly be back. Thanks for the welcome again.

 

[Tadpole12]

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/greta_talks_joran_on_the_view_103031.asp

Wednesday, Dec 10
Greta Talks Joran on "The View"

Greta Van Susteren appeared this morning on "The View" to discuss the recent airing of her July interview with Joran van der Sloot
She gives some more details about the behind-the-scenes of the interview, saying she conducted the interview after not sleeping for 36 hours. She also gives her take on the two possible explanations for why, after the interview, van der Sloot called and said he made the whole story up.
Meanwhile, as just about every media company is going through a series of cuts, Van Susteren has made an announcement on her blog. "Fox News Channel is NOT laying people off," she writes this afternoon.
Click continued to see Van Susteren's "The View" appearance...

 

[Tadpole12]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,465291,00.html

OTR w/ GVS:transcript from "On the Record ," December 10,
Holloway Arrest Coming Soon? Don't Hold Your Breath



JOHN Q. KELLY, HOLLOWAY FAMILY ATTORNEY: It's basically two-fold. One is that Joran [van der Sloot] has given different versions of the same event, so they can't be bothered with it.
And, two, they have no interest in any evidence or information that might assist him at this point.

.....

KELLY: He said we have no basis for it. This is the first time we have had any information that has been corroborated. He says he father was engaged in a cover-up, and it turns out that the chief of police and Paulus [van der Sloot], it has been confirmed that they hindered the prosecution. We have taped conversations that confirmed the boys talking about hoping that Natalee, or fearing that she may be alive. There are cell phone pings as to locations of Joran down by the fisherman's hut. There are all kinds of things independently that confirm what Joran is saying now, and they just won't listen.

VAN SUSTEREN: I know that he doesn't like us here at "On the Record." And I will make this promise tonight-we will stop being the monkey on his back if he does any investigation at all.
But I can tell you one thing. We have learned new information that a member of the Dutch parliament, Hero Brinkman, he is about to raise holy hell on Hans Mos. He is going down to Aruba in early January.
And if Hans Mos does not like us, wait until he gets a hold of this member of parliament, because he says that Aruba is "corrupt as hell" I think were his words, not mine.