| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Colombia misused Red Cross emblem in hostage rescue |
| 2008-07-17 |
| Colombia misused the symbol of the Red Cross in this month's military rescue of politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other rebel-held hostages, it said on Wednesday, admitting a possible violation of the rules of war. "We regret that this occurred," President Alvaro Uribe said in a speech following reports that the Red Cross emblem was displayed on a jersey or T-shirt worn by a Colombian intelligence officer who took part in the rescue mission. Falsely portraying military personnel as Red Cross members is against the Geneva Conventions as it could put humanitarian workers at risk when they are in war zones. Uribe has drawn widespread praise for the July 2 rescue of French-Colombian citizen Betancourt, three U.S. defense contractors and 11 other kidnap victims held for years by Marxist guerrillas. Rebel leaders were duped into handing over their most prized hostages in the operation, which highlighted the success of Uribe's U.S.-backed offensive against the guerrillas. But the use of the Red Cross symbol takes some of the shine off the mission. "Parties to the conflict must respect the Red Cross emblem at all times and under all circumstances," said Yves Heller, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Colombia. "We will continue working in the field in Colombia." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #17 #16-Dittos #15-Dittos #14-Dittos #13-Dittos #12-Dittos #11-Dittos #10-Dittos #9--Dittos #8 #7--Dittos #6--Dittos #5--Dittos #4--Dittos #3--Dittos #2 #1--Dittos |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2008-07-17 19:13 |
| #16 Red cross symbol misused? Give me a break. I guess I'll go do something more important than reading tripe. I'm going to add to my beer bottle collection. After that I will count them all again. After that I'll trim my toenails. All the while I will be thankful the Columbians pulled off a great rescue mission. I am glad our three guys are back. The liberal media who are trying to make something out of nothing can go screw themselves. Media whore$ communists ba$tards. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-07-17 18:22 |
| #15 The ICRC and the UN are two international organizations that should be disbanded immediately, as whatever small amount of good they do is vastly overshadowed by the help they give the forces of evil. |
| Posted by: Jomosing Bluetooth8431 2008-07-17 17:38 |
| #14 Ask John McCain if the ICRC mis-used their symbol when they found he and his buddies were well fed, well taken care of and being treated humanely while residents of the Hanoi Hilton. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2008-07-17 16:29 |
| #13 Ponder this: Did the RED CROSS misuse the RED CROSS emblem when they "inspected" Thereisenstadt Concentration Camp in '44 and gave it a clean bill of health? |
| Posted by: borgboy 2008-07-17 14:57 |
| #12 But the use of the Red Cross symbol takes some of the shine off the mission. Really? Geez, I guess if FARC didn't just take it for granted that the Red Cross was there to help them out, maybe it wouldn't have worked? Look for the Red Cross to let this one disappear off the radar screen right quick... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-07-17 11:09 |
| #11 What sort of links with terrorists do the people who are bitching about this, have? None? Oh, do I see your nose getting longer. This is circumstancial evidence that Red Cross people may have aided and abetted FARC in the past. If they have, then why should we trust Red Cross workers. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2008-07-17 10:20 |
| #10 The international community does nothing to stop the use of humanitarian vehicles & uniformed personnel in the Palestinian areas for weapons transport & armed personnel transport. The bar was reset long ago. Columbia was not the first. |
| Posted by: logi_cal 2008-07-17 10:17 |
| #9 Hundreds of humanitarian workers who risk their lives to help people in countries like this have now been put even further in jeopardy because of the government of COlombia's actions. ICRC and other agencies work in these areas unarmed and rely on negotiation and neutrality to get through these areas alive. I'm sure the hostages who were rescued wouldn't want millions of people worldwide who depend on humanitarian worker's help to starve and die of disease. Ah yes, I guess the Burmese government is gonna start shooting aid workers now because they'll think they're really the Columbian government. Get a grip, why don't you? |
| Posted by: Abdominal Snowman 2008-07-17 09:59 |
| #8 Woozle: The ICRC may have outlived its usefulness as a neutral organization. Its red cross logo makes it a target in Muslim countries, replaced by the far less responsible Red Crescent sister organization, and its leaders have been co-opted by internationalists. And the internationalist agenda is inimical to the founding principles of the ICRC. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-07-17 09:56 |
| #7 The ICRC is repeatedly caught in support fo terrorists and criminals, and has thus already broached the misuse of their emblem, themselves. So until they get their act cleaned up, stop supplying terrorists cover and aid,they deserve the consequences of their actions. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-07-17 09:23 |
| #6 Is this the ICRC which loans ambulances to Hamas and Hezbollah so they can move their arms and ammunition around without being fired upon? That The fact that the terrorists simply handed over their hostages to someone who they thought was a member of the Red How often has the ICRC facilitated the movement of hostages in the past? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2008-07-17 08:50 |
| #5 At least people are fine with the Che t-shirts... |
| Posted by: Raj 2008-07-17 08:46 |
| #4 Woozle, What should be most bothersome is that FARC believed the Red Cross would help them with an internal hostage transfer - why would they believe such a story unless there was some 'history' with the Red Cross abetting their criminal endeavors in the past? Does the Red Cross routinely help terrorists conduct their business? Perhaps so, in return for the terrorists allowing the Red Cross to provide medical and humanitarian help to hostages? While that would be understandable (if true), it would still be unacceptable to me. |
| Posted by: Menhaden S 2008-07-17 08:43 |
| #3 Why not asked those rescued if they... really give a damn? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-07-17 08:21 |
| #2 Hundreds of humanitarian workers who risk their lives to help people in countries like this have now been put even further in jeopardy because of the government of COlombia's actions. ICRC and other agencies work in these areas unarmed and rely on negotiation and neutrality to get through these areas alive. I'm sure the hostages who were rescued wouldn't want millions of people worldwide who depend on humanitarian worker's help to starve and die of disease. |
| Posted by: Woozle Greregum2118 2008-07-17 08:19 |
| #1 Deception is part of the game. Let's ask the former hostages if they give a crap. And since when did FARC or any other "insurgent group" give a fat rat's ass about the "rules of war." This one needs the BS meter. Rooters is really stretching to find the cloud hiding behind all that shiny silvery lining. The real story here is that the ICR |
| Posted by: PBMcL 2008-07-17 02:17 |