Has anyone seen the Aug 2001 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine? A horror story about two girls staying at Cap't Morgans in May of 2000. Was that incident discussed on the board at the time? Anyone have any more info? It portrayed the SP police as being non-helpful (to say the least) to these violent crime victims. I'm sure there is more to the story, but it certainly is not good press for AC or Capt. Morgans. Will be interesting to see if there are any "letters to the editor" in future issues concerning the article.

Kathy

I found the San Pedro Police to be very very helpful during my stay in AC.

Helpful or cute? (hee hee).

cute AND helpful. KC stop worrying about Cosmo article. AC felt very safe to me and believe me I've traveled to a bunch of unsafe places. Go to AC and have fun.

Hi Kathy, I haven't read the article and I can't seem to find the post, but I know this was mentioned on the board within the last few months. Somebody posted a comment that it wasn't a random assault, but rather a 'lesbian love triangle' or something to that effect. I'm sure you are concerned regarding the police from the viewpoint as a property owner on AC, so perhaps someone will address this that knows the facts.

Hey Kathy, don't normally read Cosmo, but came across the article you were referring to. Just wanted to apologize about joking about a serious incident that was mentioned in the article. Don't know whether it's true or not, but if it did happen, it's sad. Can only say from my experience that I felt quite safe in AC.

I find this very interesting. First of all, I didn't mention the article because I am worried about safety on AC. I have never felt unsafe there. (However, humans are humans all over the world, and one should not leave their common sense at home). I brought up the article mainly because I know how reporting can be slanted, and I was curious if any of the locals would shed any light on what WASN'T mentioned in the article. (Now, this is the interesting part... not one person has responded. There could be many reasons why, but I find it interesting nontheless). Jill, I'm not sure if this was supposed to be the "lesbian love triangle" thing or not... but these girls were not lesbian, since one of them had a boyfriend back home. However, I can see where this "excuse" would be a good story to tell to cover up an inept investigation. As if... if they were lesbian, beating their brains out was OK. huh? Anyway, if I took the story at face value, and believed it all, the thing that concerns me is the attitude of the police. It is scary to me that a woman was nearly beaten to death and they (seemingly) just covered it up. Notice that I started that thought with "IF I took the story...." As I said before, I rarely believe what I read in the press as being totally true.

I guess I'll not get many answers here, and I can understand why. Just thought I'd give it a try.

Kathy

PS: I NEVER read Cosmo... this article was shown to me by someone who knew I had just been to Belize.

[This message has been edited by KC (edited 07-30-2001).]

Duh...I posted about this a couple of weeks ago. You guys blew me off like I was crazy.
They also removed my post after a couple of days. I find that very interesting. They will probably remove all of these posts too.
Coverup?? I think so. I think KC was on the right track with her suspicions.
OK Im done ranting now. Just had to vent.

I'm surprised that they haven't taken these posts off too!! It seems like anything negative to say is not allowed, even if it could be something informative. I have gotten something out of all of these posts, good or bad, and think that they should all be allowed. We're not trying to hide anything....are we??

Peace, Susan

Lynne, I'm sorry... I didn't see your post since I was in Belize at that time. I didn't know I was bringing up something that had already been posted about... and removed. I just think that everyone should be aware that these guys were never caught, and the attack was severe, leaving one girl with permanent brain damage (if the article is correct).

Kathy

I think this is the perfect forum for this to be discussed because this "incident" has been reported in the national media in the States, people are obviously wondering about it and will want to know what has been done or being done on AC. This board is for the purpose of supporting the tourism business on AC and something like this is not good for tourism. It seems to me that on an island the size of AC where it's "no problem" if someone walks off with your golf cart that a crime of this magnitude would be solveable. Personally, I felt quite safe while there, but I was rarely anywhere by myself, and I usually have my "antenna" up!

I had not read Cosmo in years, but bought it to read this article. My inquiring mind got the best of me, and boy after reading the article, it really went into overtime.
Many gaps in the article, many points carefully not spoken to, leaving me with many questions. I have never felt safer anywhere on vacation than I do on Ambergris.
But I do not look or act stupid, and mindful of my own business. This article does not scare me at all.

I agree with Chloe. I'm cancellin my prescription to Cosmo!!!

Bill, you crack me up, met you briefly at the Chicken Drop, you are a hoot.

Bill, Don't cancel your subscription to Cosmo until you read all of the Letters To The Editor which this story will generate! (I hope). I want to hear some "rebuttal"!

Kathy

Bill Bill, I know you enjoyed that Cosmo issue it was full of HOT stuff.
I still have my copy of Cosmo, with Burt Reynold's center fold. HA HA
I bet Bill sat in his local library and read that article, :P

[This message has been edited by Chloe (edited 07-31-2001).]

Are ya lookin through the keyhole again, Chloe!! Your such a voyager.

PS. Hi Becky: Wow. Now everyone knows I gots real class, being seen at the Chicken Drop. Almost as good as being seen at a Cockfight.

Little known fact about Cockfighting.
Do you know how they get those cocks so mad?
You take a chug of 151 Rum and blow it on their arsh. Really pisses them off.

Hey air-hog,
Try it man, I bet you sharpen your spurs too!!!!

Bill, you are too funny. I also met you at the Chicken Drop. We all had a good time that night, with Hope, Rich, Becky, etc. I missed the Chicken drop, but oh well. . .

Hi Marquis: Face it, with a blink of the eye, ya missed it! Chicken could have at least farted. Maybe next year. Bill

Yep, Bill, I saw you.

Uh baby, baby!!

Since I seem to be the official spokesperson for Captain Morgan's Retreat, I apologize for not posting something regarding the Cosmo article earlier, but I have just returned from Belize where I was treated with the usual hospitality.

The incident in the article happened in May of 2000. When it happened the managing director, our attorney and another memeber of US management were at the resort by the pool which is not 500 feet from the girls' cabana with an unobstructed view of the back of their room. Other guests were also in the area and no one saw anyone go into or come out of their room. Inside the room there was no indication of a struggle nor did it appear as if the cabana had been broken into. The resort security did an immediate search of the property and surrounding areas and found no one suspicious. After the incident we were never contacted by the girls or a representative and we were rather surprised to read the article in Cosmopolitan. Ernie, the managing director, was represented as being rather callous, but no one believed the woman's injuries to be as severe as they were portrayed in the article.

I have traveled to Belize several times by myself and I have never had anything like this happen. We frequently have single women or women friends stay at the resort and we never have any problems. Certainly anything can happen in any place, but I am willing to say that none of our staff would do anything like this. Most of our staff members are long time employees with 3-6 years of service. It is hard for me to believe that we could employ a violent person for that long.

I am not trying to discount the incident or undermine the fear the girls faced, but nothing like this has ever happened before or since. Belizeans know that tourism is their main industry and they do not bite the hand that feeds. They are known for being warm, welcoming people.

As for posts being removed, to my knowledge no one from this office had any posts removed. The article is in a nationally known magazine, it isn't as if we can hide the story so why would we bother removing a few posts on this board?

Holly,

Thank you for responsibly reporting this information on behalf of Captain Morgan's. I have hesitated to comment on this article, although I did read it several weeks ago.

At this time, I'd like to offer just a general opinion about the slant of the article, as I cannot speak to the validity of the content and would not ever attempt to discount the brutality of the crime if it did infact occur.

I felt that Cosmopolitan magazine resorted to sensationalism and slander in an effort to exploit the resort's association with the successful show "Temptation Island". This article was definitely not about informative journalism; seldom do you see a piece that names names and makes such blatent references without any verifiable substance.

If the article was going to be written about Ambergris Caye, it should have taken a more objective view. If the journalist was seeking to do a general piece on safety in third world travel, then mention could have been made to this incident in a much more responsible matter.

Like I said, I appreciate Holly's contribution regarding facts surrounding this incident. As far as Cosmo's "exclusive interview" with the assault victim, I think they did their readers a terrible injustice by publishing crass sensationalism, rather than researched, documented, verified, objective reporting.

I think I just may go write Cosmo a letter now.....

I'd like to see this article, anyone want to mail it to me or OCR it and send i'd appreciate it.

[email protected]
marty casado
910 w. 16th
eugene, OR 97402

Hey Marty,
Long time no speak...lol How was your trip??? WHERE IS YOUR TRIP REPORT???

I have the article and can snail mail it to ya since I don't know how to do anything else. (Would Kinkos know the OCR way?? Let me know or it will be in the mail tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Hope

[This message has been edited by denverdan (edited 08-07-2001).]

Hi Hope, snail mail would be great! thanks a bunch!

here's a brief trip report....

lots of parasailing rides, a few days at the caves branch, rapelled off 300 ft cliff, dives like crazy every other day, the whole family is certified now except my son, who got an ear infection halfway thru the class before we left and could not go deep... but the rest ofus had a bang up time trying to see all the spots on the back of an Amigos del Mar t-shirt... didn't go to the atolls this trip. next time for sure...

stayed at carib villas, casa tortuga (the palace), and banana beach. love all those places...

great time up at rocky point with Landy, (Orlando Garrido, artiste extraordinaire), played a little volleyball and football, watched just born crocodiles (ssshhh) right out of the eggs, had a lot of GREAT meals, a nice time at the 5th anniv of Capricorn, took a golf cart ride north one day as far as we could go...

snorkled with Alfonso, of course.

had a great lunch with Daniel Nunez and his family, went to Altun Ha and all over the Belize River, went to Belmopan, Belize City, Hattiesville, Belize Zoo, Blue Hole Nat'l Park....

fun fun fun....

some of the pictures, not all yet, are at: //AmbergrisCaye.com/pages/photos/335.html

thru //AmbergrisCaye.com/pages/photos/393.html

more to come there....

Thanks, Holly, for responding. I know how "journalism" is, and wanted to hear what the article did not say. There is no way that any of us can know what really happened, but I am glad that you did respond. It just seemed odd that no one was talking!

AND MARTY! It sounds like you had a lot more fun on AC that I did! No fair. You could have at least come and helped arrange furniture and set up beds. About the Cosmo article... I'll run it by tomorrow when I'm in town. Oh! And I'll leave the whole magazine so you can take the "Sex Survey"! And then you could read the article "Make Him Crazy For You" -- oops, well you might want to skip that one.

Kathy

Hey, I wonder how much Cosmo, or Maxim for that matter, would pay me for a story if Bill Beat me silly. ....I know... that's not funny. -but I wonder. hmmm Oh! Just saw this from Channel 5 news in Belize: And since bad luck seems to run in threes, the third piece of news involves a magazine article in the August issue of the woman's magazine, "Cosmopolitan". It seems that two women who were guests at Captain Morgan's Retreat on Ambergris Caye in May of last year allege they were brutally assaulted as they slept in their thatched cabana. They further claim that police and the resort's management did virtually nothing to solve the crime. Whether or not the story is true--at the time authorities and others involved told News 5 that the alleged crime never took place--the point is that the story has been published and no amount of retractions will blunt its impact. With many of Belize's resorts doing a brisk summer business while at the same time preparing for the much busier winter season, officials hope that the industry's recent spate of bad luck will quickly fade into the past--much like the hype surrounding "Temptation Island".



[This message has been edited by Barefoot Skinny (edited 08-07-2001).]