Students robbed, briefly held captive in Guatemala

I am sorry for the students who had to experience this. I am glad to hear you are ok. It is unfortunate that you went to their country to help improve their community and you are treated this way.

And once again, while not a good experience, this story keeps feeding the notion that people see in movies were Latin America is depicted as a drug and guns world. Obviously, most of Central and South America does not enjoy the benefits that we have in the US due to lack of development and political reasons. But, truly, these countries’ conditions are the consequence of many years of American interference in their political matters and of above average corruption. These countries are not worst than being in China, some parts of Europe, and even Detroit.

So, don’t make a big deal about it. These guys probably didn’t even had real guns and things like this happen very often in Mexico. Its part of the lack of equality in some countries.

Yes, while US imperialism has created horrible poverty and injustice in Latin America. But “dont make a big deal about it?” How condesending. Not just to the students, but to the people of Guatemala who are also affected by bandits and gangs. Go to Guatemala and tell the people crime is “no big deal.” Sheesh.

Maybe you should work on your spelling before you start getting on your high horse and criticizing other people.

How should it not be a big deal? Your fellow students were tied up and held at gunpoint in a foreign country. I highly doubt you would just shrug a situation like this off if it happened to you.

Your statement is full of ignorant comments. We should all be thankful that they didn’t have to find out if the guns were real or not.

I am an American living in Guatemala for nearly 20 years. Groups are robbed here fairly frequently, especially around Lake Atitlan. Don’t think it’s not a big deal. The thieves have “real” guns, and they will use them with little or no provocation. Are they victims of American repression? Nope. They are thieves, rapists, and they are often murderers. Some are also members of street gangs, and they would love to get their hands on someone like “Student” and relieve him or her of all valuables. Before popping off about how things are abroad, spend some time abroad. Maybe 3 or 4 years will suffice. In the case of “Student” it would be best to live close to the thugs here and get to know them real well.

It looks like a lot of people misunderstood me.

Primarily, what I meant to say is that things like this happen frequently in Guatemala. Now, we just pay attention to them because they happened to some of ours.

The comments on this story reveal so much about what is wrong with US culture. ‘Student’ manages to get it wrong in almost every way imaginable, ‘Teacher’ can’t avoid taking the bait and blaming the US for what anyone who lives here recognizes has everything to do with the local culture and little, if anything to ‘imperialism’, and ‘Beau’, who actually lives here, is the only one who gets it. I suspect it didn’t take him 20 years to develop that insight either.

I blog about real life in Guate every day at http://GuateLiving.com I welcome your comments but warn you, I don’t tolerate fools.

My heart goes out to the students who were robbed. Im sure your sense of security will never be the same. I thank god none of them were killed or wounded!!

My hats off to the courageous students who ventured out to another country and to help others while being there. “They worked in the rural community of Nueva Alianza, where they helped develop the area’s tourism industry through manual labor”, how kind of them. I am so proud of these students and so grateful to hear that they survived the robbery and were not hurt.

Welcome to the developing world :)

Student … as a Guatemalan native here to study. You are a moron. The situation in our country has to do with guerillas and military coups constantly causing changes in power through the last couple of decades. The robbers most certainly had real guns and many of these thieves/rapists/murders will do exactly those things. I would not recommend foreigners to travel around my country except for large tourist areas and the major city of Guatemala City.

Until Student has lived there and knows my country he should keep his mouth shut. I cannot believe the ignorance of him blaming America for bad people. I love this country and Guatemala.

Praise – to the students who were doing something very enlightened and altruistic with their SB

Thanks – for their safe return from a situation that would rattle anybody’s cage who is being confronted with the violent realities much of the world lives with

Shame – for those who know nothing about life beyond our borders yet feel entitled to comment on it

I ask you not to make this incident the example you use to make a generalized assumption about a country or a society. Guatemala is a beautiful country with heartfelt loving people. Guatemala City used to be known as the “Murder Capital of Latin America”, but don’t forget so was Detroit.

Keep Traveling

I am very sorry for the experience of the students on the trip, and am glad that they came away alive. I sincerely hope that they can put this experience in the background of their minds and that it does not affect their sense of safety in the world into the future.

I spend a considerable amount of time in Guatemala. I have been on human rights delegations, worked closely with women’s groups there, read a lot, and am a clinical social worker. THe country is totally traumatized by a 36-year “internal armed conflict” which the UN declared to be genocide. The US government in 1954 removed a democratically-elected president from power, then proceeded to train the Guatemalan military at our School of the Americas in Ft Benning GA in counterinsurgency techniques — i.e., how to terrorize, kill, torture, massacre, and disappear anyone in the population who might look like a communist — i.e., intellectuals, union leaders, human rights defenders, women’s rights activists, environmental leaders, community leaders, etc. Over 250,000 people were murdered, 50,000 disappeared, and a million and half fled for their lives. Where is the country now? Suffering from an extreme maldistribution of wealth, poverty, with more than 50% of children at risk for chronic malnutrition, racism, and a police and justice system that functions not a whit. There is total impunity for perpetrators of the genocide as well as for present-day kidnappers, robbers, and murderers. International mining companies have licenses to explore literally ONE THIRD of the territory of the country, taking water from wherever they want, paying 1% of their profits in taxes, contaminating the environment, adversely affecting people’s health, with no regulation whatsoever. That is, of course, exactly why they operate in Guatemala, which has accurately been named a failed state. I strongly believe that many of the ills of Guatemala are the result of the historical legacy of militarism, racism, and exploitation. One can’t read the history of Guatemala and know anything abut trauma without coming to that conclusion. People weren’t born bad. They were formed into sociopaths, and that is what we are dealing with now, with the country being dominated by and made unsafe by ex-military, narcotraffickers, gangs, organized crime, and many of the wealthy who will do anything to maintain their control. Look at who is arrested in Mexico for narcotrafficking and heinous beheadings – most of them attended the School of the Americas and learned their sociopathic methods from the US government.

It is incumbent upon us in the US to understand what our government does around the world, and to act. I encourage each of you to read Francisco Goldman’s book The Art of Political Murder, and to look at www.rightsaction.org and www.nisgua.org as well as any number of other resources.

I silghtly disagree with Guatemalan, Guatemala city is one of the most violent cities in Latin America. I am amazed that last year, the US Embassy warned americans avoid driving through that particular road, since it is a fairly isolated road and therefore subjected to robbery. so why the heck the tour provider did not pay attention to that warning? in mid jannuary i took my wife and son (both americans) to lake atitlan, and i myself being a guatemalan, always take precautions while driving there, i love my country but i am aware that i have to take precautions to avoid this kind of incident to happen. My point is that why the tour provider took the road of patulul, i mean for thieves it is so easy to spot a bus full of americans as an opportunity for robbery, why they did not take the longer trip throught the other road that has higher traffic? so my criticism is directed to the tour provider, for unnecesarily exposed the students to this situation.

i am glad the students are back in MI and safe, and I am deeply sad that they were not able to fully enjoy our beautiful country.

And, I will add, I will continue to go to Guatemala to do what I can to help. It is a beautiful country with an indigenous culture which in many ways has much to teach us Northerners. Safety is never guaranteed. I advise people thinking of traveling there to consult their embassies to learn about what roads have had problems with bandits, and follow all the suggestions re safety — don’t come out of bars late at night, don’t take walks in secluded areas, don’t travel at night, don’t travel on roads with secluded areas. All of that being said, life is never risk-free. I personally have found it tremendously fulfilling to travel to and live in Guatemala and to have very meaningful relationships with people there. It has added immeasurably to the meaningfulness of my life.

I love the last quote from Smith:
“Since we weren’t going to Mexico or Cabo (San Lucas) with the kidnappings and drug dealings, we thought that we would be OK in Guatemala,” she said.

Isn’t she a dingbat. First off, you are NEVER SAFE ANYWHERE! EVEN YOUR OWN HOUSE! Secondly EVERYWHERE in Latin America/South America/Mexico is drug infested.

I have been reading a lot about Guatemala, trying to learn as much as I can about this beautiful, violent country. I appreciate hearing everyone’s comments. I am thankful no one was physically hurt in this incident. From everything I’ve read about the violence and crime in Guatemala, these students were very lucky to escape unharmed. This is off topic, and I apologize if it isn’t the right time/place to ask this question; but is there a “community of Guatemala” in the East/Lansing area? I would love to connect with folks from Guatemala in this area. Thanks.

WELL PUT MartyMo WELL PUT! Keep those people out!

Terrible experience although, thankfully, it’s just a bad memory for the students involved as opposed to anyone getting hurt.

I can’t believe basketball is the lead article over this — MSU student lives were at stake State News — GET YOUR FRIGGIN’ PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!!!! Like I always ask: does MSU stand for Michigan Sports University.

To Eliza, thanks for those 2 great posts, good to know there’ s students @ MSU with a brain.

MartyMoron, Sparty IMBECIL and RobRedneck: you guys are so stupid and plain ignorant, GET A LIFE!

It saddens me to read some of the ignorant ravings of some the commenters here, generalizing Latin American and their people as “all horrible countries with horrible people”. And those who think building an electrified wall around their borders will solve any problems, are sadly mistaken.

It is this kind of ignorance and mean-hearted nature that prevents different cultures from uniting and coming to solutions together. We in the extremely priviledged north need to begin with understanding the situations in Latin America, and then working together with the people of these countries, the vast majority of which who want nothing more then peace and security in their lives, just like us, to end the cycle of violence caused by desperation and inequality.

I am so glad to hear the students are okay and hope that this experience does not shake their hope. It is people like them who are trying to make a difference and I commend them for their courage and kindness.

Thank you Eliza Strode for the insightful and intelligent comment here.

MartyMo, did your family come here from another country? Unless you are 100% American Indian (so few of us are anymore) I highly doubt that you were not an “illegal” at least in some respect. What gives you more of a right than people who come here undocumented now? Did your ancestors not inflict terrible things on the people living here originally? And what do undocumented workers inflict on you now? Take jobs that you won’t take?
Ignorant people like you have lost sight of what this country is. Ever since native populations were pushed out, killed, raped, maimed etc. this country has been full of undocumented workers. For some reason, because you relatives have been here for 1-4 generations you feel a sense of entitlement.
This country was FOUNDED on illegal immigration.
Give me a break.
Immigration and non documented workers is NOT the point of this article, anyway.

A salient point is that no one with experience working in Guatemala would take a group of students over the path they took. Did they never hear about St. Mary’s college.

Encounter tours state on their web page that safety is their primary concern. I find that hard to believe with the route they chose to send students. It is common knowledge by everyone who spends time in the region that those roads on the South side of the lake to the coast and around Santo Thomas la Union IS NOT SAFE!!!!

While Guatemala can be dangerous, young recent graduates from Ivory League schools who can make good web pages and use marketing skills while not really knowing the context they are operating in….that is a real dangerous.

Encountertours should be held accountable for promoting safety in their tours and then taking students along a route that is known by all tour operators in the region as an unsafe route. They are either liars or incompetent.