Tunisia 37 tourists murdered on beach near marina

[chuckr]

The Miss -- where are you? We are in Orikum for a couple of weeks hoping to leave tomorrow - 6-29- for a couple of weeks of inland travel. we are also headed to Greece and then to Turkey for the winter.


Our boat name SoulMates - if you have ais you can see our boat name on it.

[Sarayu]

We have overwintered in Monastir, Tunisia and are still here. I came back to get the yacht ready in March. I am still waiting for the Travel Lift to have its renovation completed to get back in the water. I am presently on promise no.124 that it will be ready by 10th July.....In fairness it is looking good ..now!..but that is cruising, no more , no less.

The effect of this attack on Tunisians is terrible. It is country that depends on Tourism for its very existence. To walk the streets now at the start of the peak summer season and not see the tourists is an airy feeling. The charter companies are flying them to alternative sunspots FOC. Empty planes in, full out.
Restaurants and bazaars during the day appear empty (it is Ramadan) no people , no business , no money. Following the previous attack the cruise ships have stopped coming. The flow on affect of that, my Taxi Driver (flying in 4 days ago for second try) had been waiting for 18 hours to get a fare. In cruise ship times he had 3 trips a day in his van full of day trippers paying 30 td each x 8 = 240 td x 3= 720td/day down to 100td. This is just one case scenario, consider the flow on.

With the terrorist attack in France, will people stop going to France to rubber neck? Did they stop going to London in IRA times.
So where does it lead, the economy stalls, the people become disillusioned, further unrest, who knows.

I do know that the Tunisians are devastated by this further attack, they are made very aware of its impact, daily. Security has improved since the previous attack and they are desperate to stay as main stream as they can. How do you secure or stop a radicalised German raised Islam fundamentalist walking in with a weapon in a beach umbrella onto a beach.

In perspective life has dangerous any where. Again consider, is it dangerous to go to church on Sunday in USA southern States. Should tourists avoid USA altogether.
Is it when we succumb to these attacks and avoid these destinations that the Terrorist has achieved his aim, is that their plan?Do we play that?

The punishment here exceeds the crime. An entire nation is being punished for trying to climb out of this tangle of doctrines. I don't mean to play down this awful catastrophe. My deepest sympathies to all those families who have been involved.


With the news coverage this getting i ask myself if i would return or come here in the circumstances..with the sensationalism of 24/7 world news events, [I] would be cautious. The reality of being here is always different.




The security here seems

Sent from my iPad

[arsenelupiga]

wont get better any time soon, i guess.

Safest appears Croatia in this part of world as most north. However, they had their ethnic cleansing recently, decent share of pollution from that, who knows what happens next.

Maybe it is time to say goodbye to croissants, coffees, smokes, nudity, etc and move elsewhere. Like Baltic seem good option.

[MarkJ]

Great post Sarau, but I don't agree with one point:

with the sensationalism of 24/7 world news events, [I] would be cautious. The reality of being here is always different.

Reporting 37 murdured is not sensationalism.

[Cottontop]

Originally Posted by alansmith

But I saw the warning and felt the chilly deadly eyes upon me when I was in Urumqi, China by young Muslim men. It was clearly a message of "I want to kill you!"

Ah, yes, those chilly deadly Muslim eyes.

[Kenomac]

I'm less than 300 miles away from Tunisia in probably the safest cruising spot in the world. Much safer than my own neighborhood in the U.S.

Very strange. Especially to read posts coming from the U.S. Where it's more likely one will be robbed or murdered in ones own town or city than over here in the Med.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Sarayu

...

With the terrorist attack in France, will people stop going to France to rubber neck? Did they stop going to London in IRA times.
So where does it lead, the economy stalls, the people become disillusioned, further unrest, who knows.

The IRA and French terrorists were/are not going after tourists. In France, the terrorists are going after Jews who have increased their immigration rate to Israel from about 2,000 people a year for most of this century to about 7,000 in 2014.

Given Tunisia's dependency on tourism the last two attacks will almost certainly affect the economy.

Originally Posted by Sarayu

I do know that the Tunisians are devastated by this further attack, they are made very aware of its impact, daily. Security has improved since the previous attack and they are desperate to stay as main stream as they can. How do you secure or stop a radicalised German raised Islam fundamentalist walking in with a weapon in a beach umbrella onto a beach.

Stopping a nut a 100% of the time is impossible but this guy had 20 minutes to kill people which does not speak well of Tunisian security in an obvious target area.

We visit an obvious terrorist target in a an area that is very much dependent on tourism. Security is VERY obvious, and if one pays attention, one can see the subtle security in place. While a terror attack is certainly possible in this place, and would be all but impossible to prevent, I don't think an attack would proceed unchallenged for 20 minutes. In fact, I would be shocked if an attack was not challenged within seconds at the most obvious vulnerable areas, and within a few minutes in other areas.

There is a photo of Tunisian security, holding a suspect in crowd, where 3 of the 5 officers had fingers on the trigger of their weapons, while they allowed the crowd to beat the suspect.

That to me says Tunisian security has quite a bit of work to do.

Originally Posted by Sarayu

In perspective life has dangerous any where. Again consider, is it dangerous to go to church on Sunday in USA southern States. Should tourists avoid USA altogether.

No, tourists should not avoid the US. Tourists are not the target of terrorists in the US. Tourists, aka Westerners, ARE a target in Tunisia and Egypt.

Originally Posted by Sarayu

Is it when we succumb to these attacks and avoid these destinations that the Terrorist has achieved his aim, is that their plan?Do we play that?

The punishment here exceeds the crime. An entire nation is being punished for trying to climb out of this tangle of doctrines. I don't mean to play down this awful catastrophe. My deepest sympathies to all those families who have been involved.

Yes, Tunisia is gong to be punished but it is a rational result of multiple security problems in Tunisia and other north African states. This has been going on for years where tourists and cruise ships cancel visits due to security issues. Then time passes and the tourists return.

Years ago I read a story about security at tourist sites in Israel where there are well armed soldiers on patrol. Seems like Egypt has taken this approach and stopped an attack in a tourist area earlier this month.

Later,
Dan

[boatman61]

When US security can do better.. Shoot yer mouth off..
Until then stick it up yer ass

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by boatman61

When US security can do better.. Shoot yer mouth off..
Until then stick it up yer ass

[Group9]

Originally Posted by svmariane

4) Civilians bear the brunt in times of asymmetric warfare.

They often take a pretty good beating in conventional warfare, too.

[CHAZ]

Originally Posted by boatman61

When US security can do better.. Shoot yer mouth off..
Until then stick it up yer ass

Welcome back Boatie
a long time no read

Martin

[blackcrow]

Originally Posted by arsenelupiga

wont get better any time soon, i guess.

Safest appears Croatia in this part of world as most north. However, they had their ethnic cleansing recently, decent share of pollution from that, who knows what happens next.

Maybe it is time to say goodbye to croissants, coffees, smokes, nudity, etc and move elsewhere. Like Baltic seem good option.

I am NOT Croat and do NOT have any connections with Croatia and Ido not wont that this go politically but do not know what you are trying to pull here.

What pollution, what ethnic cleansing, what you are talking about. War was 25yrs ago. Actually after some fighting on the coast, which saw the destruction of parts of Dubrovnik, hostilities continued mostly inland. The Dalmatian islands and most of Northern Croatia were not touched by the war.Croatia is now one of the most peaceful and safest country in Europe. safest than Australia. Comparing to some western "civilisations", street crime in Croatia is almost non existent..

You must be Serbian origin, aren't you.

[DeepFrz]

But I saw the warning and felt the chilly deadly eyes upon me when I was in Urumqi, China by young Muslim men. It was clearly a message of "I want to kill you!"

Ah, yes, those chilly deadly Muslim eyes.

Yes, I remember those eyes of hate. Although the eyes I remember were a white woman's eyes and I had accidentally taken a seat on the wrong side of the waiting room in the bus depot of Biloxi MS. Was a few years back though. I didn't know what was going on until I read the book "Black Like Me".

[alansmith]

Cottontop, I do not view Muslim people as having chilly deadly eyes. I understand your sarcasm. I do not know what your experiences are with military service or travelling deep into Muslim areas where there is real hatred of the western people.


Ask any person who has done military service and been stationed in Islamic nations and they will tell you about the young men's eyes upon you. When I visited Urumqi 2 years ago the Han Chinese were in constant conflict with Muslim Uyghur people. I am sure you have heard of the some of the massacres in train stations and police stations of young Muslim men with long knives butchering people. I am not choosing sides here. Urumqi is far west China and is in the Xinjiang Province. Look it up.


When you can not walk outside at night you get the picture in a hurry. In late afternoons while walking through beautiful parks is when I had my experience on several days. I am a peaceful and friendly person with everyone. But I am not blind to what I saw or felt. Even my lady friend said it is not safe here for western people these days.


Maybe I misinterpreted your statement as sarcasm. But it is your option to say what you like. I know what I saw and if it came across as labeling all Muslims in such a way it was poorly stated by me. I will simply state again that young Muslim men who have been radicalized into a hatred of foreign people on their soil is a real thing. It is not to be taken as a trivial thing.


Was it not just a month or so ago that a Muslim woman in a hajib walked into a restroom in Abu Dhabi and stabbed an American mother/teacher to death just because she was western. You think that is worth a trivialized comment/sacrcasm that radicalized Muslims are full of hatred for western people.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Cottontop, I do not view Muslim people as having chilly deadly eyes. I understand your sarcasm. I do not know what your experiences are with military service or travelling deep into Muslim areas where there is real hatred of the western people.


Ask any person who has done military service and been stationed in Islamic nations and they will tell you about the young men's eyes upon you. When I visited Urumqi 2 years ago the Han Chinese were in constant conflict with Muslim Uyghur people. I am sure you have heard of the some of the massacres in train stations and police stations of young Muslim men with long knives butchering people. I am not choosing sides here. Urumqi is far west China and is in the Xinjiang Province. Look it up.


When you can not walk outside at night you get the picture in a hurry. In late afternoons while walking through beautiful parks is when I had my experience on several days. I am a peaceful and friendly person with everyone. But I am not blind to what I saw or felt. Even my lady friend said it is not safe here for western people these days.


Maybe I misinterpreted your statement as sarcasm. But it is your option to say what you like. I know what I saw and if it came across as labeling all Muslims in such a way it was poorly stated by me. I will simply state again that young Muslim men who have been radicalized into a hatred of foreign people on their soil is a real thing. It is not to be taken as a trivial thing.


Was it not just a month or so ago that a Muslim woman in a hajib walked into a restroom in Abu Dhabi and stabbed an American mother/teacher to death just because she was western. You think that is worth a trivialized comment/sacrcasm that radicalized Muslims are full of hatred for western people.

Of course if the Iranian military was walking down main street USA the people there would all have smiles on their faces. It always amazes me that we don't have the capacity to put ourselves in other peoples shoes. We have been sticking our noses in these peoples faces for a very long time and it should come as no surprise they don't like us.