The travellers' accounts on the Triotours website provide fascinating reading. Same people, same places, same situations, yet so different opinions, perceptions and reactions. From "It had not been a purely bad experience" by Roland Mayer, to blood-curdling stories of scorpions, snakes and lack of personal hygiene by the Winterstellers. I may be wrong but to me some aspects of the situation seem to be blown out of proportion to make a better tabloid story. That's sad, particularly if it is endorsed by a guy who has visited these parts 41 times.

Rgds,
Roman (UK)

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Roman (UK)

It's true, I also get the impression they have been 'tabloidized' - but what's new. Imagine what the Brit press would have made of it!


Ch

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hi
have been reading all the german language stuff available. obviously the people who were there know what happened, but lots of the german speaking sahara people are saying mr w, the 41 times sahara man, has a 'vivid imagination', to put it politely. to his defence (??!), a ghost-writer probably writes the stuff and the austrian 'krone' newspaper is a comic strip of similar proportions to our own tabloids.

lets hope the other 15 are set free very soon.
ChrisB

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Some interesting comments relating to the Krone.at articles. As others have noted, these articles are probably just useful for sifting factual stuff. There are always a few lessons we can learn.

The problem that any description of an ordeal like this has to contend with is simply that it is very difficult to convert the fears one might experience under these conditions into words which the public (most of whom haven't been on a camping trip, never mind the Algerian Sahara) has a hope of understanding. So the talk decends into vipers and scorpions and the things the newspapers expect the public to fear.

I would have thought that the problems one feels in a hostage situation are the great uncertainty and the loss of personal freedom. It is unusual for us to have our days dictated by someone totally different from us and unkown to us. And not knowing how long and where/when it might end, if ever, must be hard to endure. But that's kindof hard to write about in these sort of tabloid articles.

If you had taken 17 people and told them they would have to drive round the desert at night, sit back and watch their vehicles being trashed, then walk in stealth away from their rescuers - but that it was going to all come to a safe end after, say, exactly 50 days, then the thing becomes do-able. But not knowing that it is 50 or 150 or 500 days or death, must be the hard thing to cope with.

Along with 2 others, I found myself in the hands of the Niger military for 10 days following a strange set of circumstances in the Tenere (see S files on Sahara-overland - 'Tenere Troubles'). Ten days is not 50 days and it was the Niger military not some unknown guys in Algeria. But the great problem for me was the uncertainty. I was surprised how difficult that was to deal with. The group of 15, I suspect, must be struggling with that every minute as we read these postings. It must be hard for them.

Bad news:

http://www.triotours.com/saharamissing/030531-focus.htm

Rescue of remaining hostages: ‘‘Weeks or months’’


Published Saturday, May 31, 2003

The rescue of 15 European tourists who are still being held hostage in the Algerian Sahara could take ‘‘weeks or months,’’ sources have told German news magazine ‘‘Focus’’.

Infrared photos have shown that the hostages have been separated into small groups, ‘‘Algerian security sources’’ told the magazine.

The groups have been spread over a vast area of mountainous terrain.

The kidnappers’ strategy is seriously complicating efforts to rescue the tourists, the sources say. They describe the risks involved as ‘‘enormous.’’

Algerian security forces have surrounded the entire region around the Tamelrik mountains, some 150 kilometers north of Illizi.

hi

no more news about the remaining hostages??

renato

there is:
http://www.algeria-interface.com/new...ch/depeche.php

Same story in English:
http://www.triotours.com/saharamissi...outeflika2.htm

It really winds me up that the Algerians still lay part of the blame on the tourists.

Mr. Bouteflika told reporters that the kidnapped tourists had traveled to Algeria in a ‘‘rather unorthodox’’ manner.

‘‘They ventured into the desert without specialist assistance,’’ he said. ‘‘That is a bit like simply taking a boat and setting out to cross the Atlantic ocean.’’


It is extremely unlikely that having guides would have made any difference to whether they were kidnapped, and they weren't lost anyway! Previous attacks in the southern sahara (Niger, Mali) have still happened to guided tours.

Unorthodox means? What, the Graveyard piste? More likely the most common piste followed by tourists entering the desert. So common, in fact, that it was the very best place for the insurgents to make their hit. One wonders how much the authorities have thought this through....

Mr President, it seems, doesn't spend too much time south of the Atlas.

The Graveyard piste? Hmmm... where did the name came from, I'm wondering? Not an orthodox name to call a trail supposed to be as safe as the streets in Brixton after midnight ;-)

Rgds,
Roman (UK)

[This message has been edited by Roman (edited 17 June 2003).]

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Roman (UK)

fyi, a german guidebook nicknamed it the 'grabenpiste' - 'route of graves' - on account of the many PIZ tombs + nomad/french graves to be found alongside it.

Re news: well, there is no news so we just have to be patient.

The Alg authorities: it's to be expected

Ch

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Seems that Mr. President has to hide something:

The Austrian group taken hostage in Oued Essaoui Mellene was approached by an Algerian army patrol in Gara Khanfoussa a day before kidnapping. The patrol asked where they wanted to go and were shown the planned trip on a map. The commanding officer explained "it's not allowed, but ok; if another patrol meets you, say, you are searching for 4 motorcycles." No word on bandits operating in that region.

The following day, they were kidnapped, and got the impression that the kidnappers were well aware, telling them "Why are you so late". The German group taken hostages two days earlier reported that one of their vehicles was re-arranged as tourist vehicle (licence plates, etc), as if they had been informed well in advance.

From further details, communication structure between various groups of the criminal organisation is known and makes sense.

Returning to the "boat in the ocean"-picture: If coast guard is co-operating with pirates, the size of the boat is irrelevant. Never seen an agency organising armed escort, and if - can you be sure that someone isn't paying a higher price?

Oh yes, something learned from this press conference: Stay out of Algeria!

Regards,
Peter

had to go a long way down the forum to fetch this thread.....
Some reports in the media today that Libya is ready to pay the 15 to 20 million euros to free the 15 Saharans. Algerian President has been in Tripoli, the reports say, although they give a date of mid May.

We've heard this before, and it may not be anything new, but at least the thread won't fall off the front page for a bit. Those guys must have had enough of the heat and flies by now!

http://www.expatica.com/germany.asp?...&item_id=32628

I think that the real negotiatiton will be probably done by Libya's interaction but... with European money...

Read: http://www.quotidien-oran.com/quot2587/even.htm


Enjoy