# Author of 'World's Most Dangerous Places" Kidnapped in Panama **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 21, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091 "2003-01-21T23:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/1 "2003-01-21T23:49:21Z")
Is this being covered in the U.S. yet? I searched a bit, but couldn’t find anything. The [front page story](http://www.prensa.com/hoy/portada/853397.html) (in Spanish - I can translate bits if anyone wants) in today’s _La Prensa_, Panama’s leading newspaper, is about an attack by Colombian paramilitaries on Paya, an Indian village near the border in remote Darien province. Four residents, including the chief and vice-chief, were killed, and the place was generally shot up and looted. Besides this, Robert Pelton, of the _Discovery Channel_, and two companions (one American, one Canadian) were kidnapped. Pelton is best known as the author of [The World’s Most Dangerous Places](http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,14562,FF.html). I assume he was doing research on his Discovery Channel series when he was captured. It seems like his derring-do has finally caught up with him. Now, I’ve been to the Darien 15 times, and have even been to Pucro, which is next to Paya and which was also shot up by the paras. But I went there in 1992, before things really started to get bad. For the last 8 years or so the area has been crawling with FARC, paras, narcos and bad guys in general. Going there without a _heavy_ police escort was a very good way for Pelton to get himself an extended tour of the jungles of western Colombia for the next few years. (If his employers don’t pay his ransom.) Let me know if you see anything on this in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/2 "2003-01-22T00:47:48Z")
Ah, this is sad. I’m reluctant to say it, but it’s sort of inevitable, when you consider where he goes. I’m really sorry to hear it though, he’s quite a refreshing writer. He’s second in line of my favorite travel authors, only below the venerated PJ O’Rourke. Haven’t heard anything in the US yet. How likely is it that he’ll survive, do you think? Anyway, good luck to him, and thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/3 "2003-01-22T01:00:10Z")
It just broke. [http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/01/21/panama.missing/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/01/21/panama.missing/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/4 "2003-01-22T02:09:26Z")
I had just read a profile of Robert Pelton in Tim Cahills “Hold the Enlightenment”…he came across as an…i.nteresting dude… ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/5 "2003-01-22T02:21:22Z")
OMG… _has The World’s Most Dangerous Places on the kitchen table at this very moment…_ ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/6 "2003-01-22T02:34:15Z")
Hopefully, he’ll be like his book title and _Come Back Alive_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Wrong_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/7 "2003-01-22T03:10:36Z")
_The World’s Most Dangerous Places_ was always one of my favorite books, and Robert Young Pelton seemed like a cool, smart, generally aware kinda guy. Here’s hoping he’s okay. ☹ Incidentally, if anyone has an increased chance of surviving this, it’s him. His books contain solid advice about ways to keep calm and survive if you’re in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/8 "2003-01-22T03:39:30Z")
yeah I heard about it on black flag cafe ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/9 "2003-01-22T04:58:15Z")
Any news on ransom? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/10 "2003-01-22T16:17:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Daoloth \* > \*\* How likely is it that he’ll survive, do you think? \*\* Seems like the paras are not asking for ransom, but claiming they abducted the three “for their own safety.” From today’s [La Prensa](http://www.prensa.com/hoy/portada/854436.html): > [@](#): > > tropas que se encontraban en patrullaje de presencia, no ofensivo, encontraron en confusos hechos a unos ciudadanos extranjeros en el Urabá chocoano… el comandante de la patrulla tomó la decisión de pedirles que los acompañaran para ser entregados de manera oficial a representantes de organismos de derechos humanos o a alguna autoridad eclesiástica y evitar así poner en riesgo sus vidas”. Se informa que los estadounidenses serán liberados cuando estén en un lugar seguro. A loose translation: > [@](#): > > “Troops [of the paras] that were on patrol, not an offensive, encountered amid confused events some foreign citizens in the Chocoan Urabá [district] . . . The commandant of the patrol took the decision to ask them to be accompanied in order to be delivered in an official manner to representatives of human rights organizations or some church authority and in that way avoid being put in risk of their lives.” It is indicated that the Americans will be freed when they are in a safe place. For years the FARC (the leftist rebels) used to come into the Darien to take refuge from pursuit by the Colombian army or the rightist paramilitaries. They generally didn’t cause much trouble in Panama, since they didn’t want to provoke Panama to take action against them. (Not that Panama could do much - they are heavily out-gunned in the area.) Although the FARC regularly take hostages for ransom in Colombia, they rarely have done that here. An exception was the case of [three missionaries](http://www.assistnews.net/strategic/s0111037.htm) who were kidnapped in 1993 near the site of the recent attack. After many years of uncertainty about their fate, it now seems they were killed in Colombia in 1996. A few years ago the paras started to pursue the FARC into Panama. They have caused much more trouble, murdering suspected FARC sympathizers, whether Colombian refugees or Panamanian. However, they generally don’t take hostages for ransom, and they don’t usually molest U.S. citizens, since they feel the U.S. is much more hostile toward the FARC than to them. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/11 "2003-01-22T16:26:24Z")
That’d be the irony, Bob. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/12 "2003-01-22T16:34:09Z")
I have his book. It was only a matter of time, I guess, and I think he knew it. At least (from the sounds of it) he’ll work out what to do to keep himself alive and keep his captors ‘aware’ of his importance - and then escape. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/13 "2003-01-23T16:31:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\* - and then escape. \*\* Probably not the best course, in this case. Given the fact that his captors seem to be the AUC (rightist paramilitaries) rather than the FARC (leftist rebels), I think it’s pretty likely they will let him and his companions go fairly soon. As I said, the AUC usually doesn’t hold prisoners for ransom, and usually doesn’t mess with Americans. Of course, there’s always some risk in a case like this, but he’s in much less danger for his life, or of being held for a long time, than if he had been taken by the FARC. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/14 "2003-01-24T15:35:28Z")
Good news! Update: According to today’s [La Prensa](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312194331/qid=1043421694/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-0731606-8724022?v=glance&s=books&n=507846), all three prisoners were freed yesterday in Colombia: > [@](#): > > Un portavoz de la Policía de la región bananera de Urabá noreste, fronteriza con Panamá, precisó que los estadounidenses Megan Smaker, Mark Wedeven y Robert Young Pelton fueron entregados a una comisión humanitaria en una zona del municipio de Unguía, 550 km al noroeste de Bogotá. Translation: > [@](#): > > A spokesman for the police in the banana-growing region of northeast Urabá, bordering Panamá, stated that the Americans Megan Smaker, Mark Wedeven and Robert Young Pelton were delivered to a humanitarian commission in a zone of the municipality of Unguía, 550 km northwest of Bogotá. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/15 "2003-01-24T15:59:49Z")
Glad to hear it! And very perceptive of you, **Colibri**. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/16 "2003-01-24T16:01:42Z")
BTW, that La Prensa link goes to Amazon: a book about evolution… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/author-of-worlds-most-dangerous-places-kidnapped-in-panama/150091/17 "2003-01-24T16:36:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*BTW, that La Prensa link goes to Amazon: a book about evolution… 😃 \*\* Oops. Someone else had asked me about that book by e-mail and I accidently pasted that link instead of the right one. [Here’s](http://www.prensa.com/hoy/portada/856795.html) the link to the La Prensa story.