Death of Japanese tourists in Guatemala
In commenting on the sad story of Japanese tourists killed by
Guatemalan villagers who thought the tourists had come to steal their
children. It might also be mentioned that Guatemala is one of the
countries where many childless Americans have gone to adopt children.
Because giving away of children for adoption to foreigners is often a
source of national shame for many people in poor countries, one
wonders if resentment and rumor, against the background of decades of
repression of Indian communities, may have been a factor in producing
that situation.
I would urge people who want to do "off the beaten path" traveling to
learn a little more about the political and social situation in their
target country before straying too far from the standard routes.
Peter
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