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Mr. Odom: Do Not Pay Kidnappers

Mr. Odom: Do Not Pay Kidnappers

A CIA operative visited Trinidad and said that no one should pay Kidnappers any ransom. He did admit that it is not so easily done when you consider a family member is involved. What do you think? Should no one (even family members) pay any ransom whatsoever?

Kidnappers Pay Not Odom Mr

This is a difficult question to answer. I hope and pray that I never have to make a decision like this one. I wholeheartedly agree with the CIA operative. People should never pay a ransom even if a family member or a loved one is involved. Why? As you may all notice, there is no guarantee that the kidnappers will honour their part of the deal. Once you pay, you have to pray that the kidnappers will release your loved one safely. In many instances, victims have bravely fought with their kidnappers and were killed, when they could not be controlled. Naturally, the kidnappers would never reveal to the family members that the victim is dead. They would demand a ransom, collect it and then sometimes, they may provide a tip as to where the body of the victim is. And in rare instances, like Vindra Naipaul-Coolman, the ransom is paid and no one reveals her whereabouts or even indicate if she is still alive.

It appears that kidnapping is becoming a lucrative profession here in Trinidad. When we pay these kidnappers, we are actually sending them a message that people can get away with illegal acts in this country. By saying no, hopefully this may discourage these criminals from pursuing this "livelihood." However, like everything else in life, there is always a certain amount of risk involved. If someone is kidnapped and you refuse to pay the ransom, there is always the possibility of the kidnapper becoming frustrated and resorting to violence, which may lead to your loved one's death.

I remember reading an article in the Express Sunday newspaper last year, concerning how a kidnapping affected a family. What was interesting about this article was, the mother of the victim was questioned by the Anti Kidnapping Squad, about paying a ransom. She flatly refused and stated that the AKS officer looked at her in disbelief and even encouraged the family to pay the ransom. This is very interesting since it has been recently highlighted that, the police have been linked to some of these kidnappings: for example, a special reserve police officer was involved in the kidnapping of the Nath brothers. So by paying a ransom, this promotes even more corruption in the police force. This leads one to wonder, is there anyone you can trust in this country?

Mr. Odom: Do Not Pay Kidnappers Caribbean / Tobago & Trinidad

Deep inside me and common sense would dictate that you should not pay a cent to a kidnapper, nevertheless I do not think I could carry on this if a loved one is kidnapped. Sorry.

Kidnappers Pay Not Odom Mr

First of all, not having the money makes the decision 'easy' as yuou cannot get ot give what you do not have. Sometimes I watch people driving around their BMWs, Mercedes and wonder... why would they want to 'let everyone know' that they are more affluent? I am not saying you should not spend your money how you want, but indirectly it makes a statement that you do have the assets to raise the money.

Keep in mind, one aspect that is not covered is torture. From what we have Discussed in the Mature section it would seem that kidnappers resort to abuse of the victim as a way to 'force' payment.

Rather off topic, but... I cannot wait for the day when all these hidden acts are brought to light and we can see those both in high and low places that commit them.