Cali reality

[cancunhound]

Odds are you guys aren't going to have the FARC calling you when you visit, but this story caught my attention today, here's an excerpt from

http://www.news-press.com/news/local_state/030824columbians.html

Just another reason to maintain a very low profile when you're down there:

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"Hernan and Gloria Valencia were living the good life in Colombia.

They were successful professionals with property, political connections and private schooling for their two girls.

Their life began to unravel a year ago with the arrival of a sinister letter.

“In the name of the Colombia Revolutionary Armed Forces … We are hereby asking you to join our revolutionary struggle economically, giving us a payment … The above is not a threat, but it will be a threat (if) you disobey,” said the letter from Colombia’s largest guerrilla group.

Hernan, 46, and Gloria, 40, who now live in south Fort Myers with their daughters, were people of substance in Colombia. He was an assistant to a Colombian congressman. She was a municipal business administrator in their hometown of Santiago de Cali and had just received her law degree.

They ignored the threat and subsequent phone calls for months. They hoped the threat would go away.

Finally, another letter came on Feb. 25.

“We have been continuously calling you and you have not furnished any financial payment requested from us. Therefore, we are hereby informing that you as well as your daughters have been declared a military threat.”

The guerrillas gave the family 15 days to pay.

“We knew effectively then that we were facing a huge problem,” said Hernan Valencia.

It’s a problem that has forced thousands of Colombians to flee to the United States.

“Many people have received letters like this one. I’ve seen them before,” said Carmenza Jaramillo, Colombia’s consul general in Miami.

A few days later, the couple decided not to pay and left their jobs, their land and their home for safety in the United States. They came to Lee County because a friend lived here.

They are relying on the charity of friends and taking part-time jobs, including cleaning and maintenance work, to support the family.

The family now waits to hear from the U.S. government on whether their petition for political asylum will be granted.

It could take anywhere from six months to four years, Jaramillo said.

“We are not immigrants; we’re displaced people,” Hernan Valencia said.

[cancunhound]

... in response to Cali reality, posted by cancunhound on Aug 26, 2003

Sorry to keep bringing up the "bad news", but this is actually "good" IMHO, Uribe has 'em flustered, and there's no way these two groups can get along:
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"Colombia rebels join forces to fight army
By Jeremy McDermott in Medellin
(Filed: 26/08/2003)

Colombia's two most powerful rebel groups, which have clashed on many occasions, announced yesterday that they will now fight together, presenting the government with a more dangerous united front."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/26/wfarc26.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/08/26/ixworld.html

[Freddie]

... in response to Cali reality, posted by cancunhound on Aug 26, 2003

I didn't realize all they had to do was show up at the American Airlines' counter and tell them you're going to apply for political asylum as soon as you're 'settled' in the states, huh?

Wait till I inform my wife's family. Heck, they can type up a couple letters from the FARC.

I sort of question this story.

[Pete E]

... in response to So with a couple weeks notice the left f..., posted by Freddie on Aug 26, 2003

Showing up at American Airlines asking for political asylum won't work.They won't even let you fly through a US airport if you don't have a visa.These people obviously had visas.That gives them the opportunity to come here while seeking asylum.

Pete

[lswote]

... in response to No visa,no AA trip, posted by Pete E on Aug 27, 2003

Actually as long as they have a Colombian passport they can make it out of Colombia to Miami or some other international airport in the US and then at US customs ask for asylum.  I don't think you have to have a US visa to leave Colombia with a US destinatioo, you just need one to enter the US.

[beenthere]

... in response to I disagree Kimosabe, posted by lswote on Aug 27, 2003

Iswote,
You can't GET on a plane headed to the US from Colombia if you are a Colombian without a VISA.  Not only do the airlines require them, but also the fellas who stamp your passport when leaving the country.  Where do you get your information, or do you make it up as you go???

[lswote]

... in response to Re: I disagree Kimosabe, posted by beenthere on Aug 28, 2003

Well, "make it up as you go" is a little harsh characterization.  I said "I don't think", which is honestly what I thought.  I have only been through customs once with my wife and I don't remember what they looked at but it seemed to go pretty fast.  I don't remember Colombia customs rifling through her passport like they always do mine when I enter the country.  I am willing to accept that what I thought was wrong.

[Pete E]

... in response to I disagree Kimosabe, posted by lswote on Aug 27, 2003

Bruce,
The last time I left Colombia they were checking for a visa to enter the US,a passport was not good enough.I was told this applied to all travelers,even those wanting to change planes in MIami.And recently it was in the news as a new US policy.I thought,hey they are already doing that in Colombia.Maybe it applies everywhere now.
Not being a traveler in that catagory its possible I am wrong or there are exceptions.Its what was told by my travel agent and heard on the news.
Its tough being a Colombian nowdays.

Pete

[lswote]

... in response to I disagree Kimosabe, posted by lswote on Aug 27, 2003

It was my understanding Kimosabe meant friend.  Any other interpretation of the word was not what I intended.

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to I disagree Kimosabe, posted by lswote on Aug 27, 2003

Bruce

If you're going to contradict someone, and you're going to post it under a new subject line, and that subject line is a quote, and the name of the person who spoke that quote is "Tonto", you'd better be sure your info is correct or you set yourself up for some major ridicule.  You do know what "tonto" means in Spanish, don't you?

Couldn't resist.

Steve

PS: Your info is not correct as another poster informed you.

[lswote]

... in response to Ouch!, posted by DallasSteve2 on Aug 28, 2003

[This message has been edited by lswote]

I wasn't aware of what tonto meant, but I pretty sure kimosabe means friend and I was saying that I was disagreeing as a friend.  I might be wrong, but it was a friendly disagreement.

[Michael B]

... in response to Re: Ouch!, posted by lswote on Aug 28, 2003

Means 'fool'...and 'kimosabe' is actualy 'quien no sabe' which means 'he who does not know'. So a typical conversation on the Lone Ranger show is: 'Say, fool' --'What you want, ignoramous?' :-)

Regarding your other question, who is trained to know if the person has a valid visa? Somebody must be, most likely several of them are. I'm pretty sure if the head gate agent says 'This person is not getting on my plane' that there are plenty of DAS agents, immigration officials, police officers and soldiers around who will enforce the gate agent's decesion.

[DOMINGUIN]

... in response to Re: Re: Ouch!, posted by Michael B on Aug 28, 2003

Mike, according to this site, kemo sabe is not "quien no sabe"!  

http://www.tcnj.edu/~hofmann/kemosabe.htm

[lswote]

... in response to Re: Re: Ouch!, posted by Michael B on Aug 28, 2003

Hmmm.  Okay, I didn't know that.  And as I said in response to DallasSteve, I believe Kimosabe means friend in whatever language Tonto on the Lone Ranger speaks.  It is certainly what I meant, not the spanish phrase you referenced.  I was saying to Pete E. "I disagree friend", because I didn't just want to just say "I disagree" because I wanted it to be taken in the spirit of one friend disagreeing with the other.

[Michael B]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Ouch!, posted by lswote on Aug 28, 2003

Oh, we know you didn't mean any harm. Neither did The Ranger and Tonto, they used those names as 'terms of endearment' for each other. BTW, I don't know what kind of Indian Tonto was suppossed to be in the show, but in real life he was Mohawk. Before his acting career, he'd been a small time pro boxer and after the acting more or less played out (i.e. when the Lone Ranger show ended, although he did an occasional guest or cameo appearence for years afterwards) he was quite successful as a harness racing jockey.