Hi Renco, Hope you and all Goans succeed in sending "ripples the world over" to inform the 'pot smoking - drug pushing' back-packers and others, that Goa is NO LONGER a place for them. Perhaps one can start by spreading the word in Anjuna and elsewhere in Goa, among the old hippies and the young druggies, informing them that their tourist visas has long expired and their welcome in Goa has worn thin. Likely this is the reason (eviction) why the hippies in Anjuna are now lying-low and afraid. With criminals (foreign and native) out, the civilized and law-abiding tourists (foreign and domestic) can get the word around the world that the "prime (and pristine) beaches of Goa" are a great and safe place to visit; and where all have a great time. Many of the hippies of today, like their predecessors, give themselves cool names like: tree-huggers, free-thinkers, counter-culture, alternative life-style, loving folks of the world, (nudist) sun worshipers, communal living, avante-garde and heavy metal devotees. But at their core, many of them are the same old drug-junkies and into free-love that flaunt the local laws, customs, societal norms, environment, ruin the local youth and take advantage of native poverty. As this tragedy highlights, in their impeccable and fluent English, some of them are now trying to shift the blame to the local police, bar owners, "the locals", and other native low-life, with whom they first associate and promote to continue their own vices and life of crime. As one looks at the perpetrators and facilitators to the crime on Scarlet, we should start with her mother. She should be charged with child neglect and abandonment of a youth in a foreign land, with total lack of parental responsibility. In New York State, the legal drinking age is 21 yrs. Scarlet at age 15 yrs, should not have been allowed by her mother any where near a bar, let alone serve drinks to support her food, housing, drinking and drug habit. (See Page's account of Scarlet, after her mother left the girl in Goa, while touring Karnataka.)
This is my second and hopefully last post on this topic. I would encourage other Goans to also do the same. This is exactly how the natives would do if the tragedy was in Brighton, England; Palm Beach, Florida; or Cancun Mexico. Only in Goa will the natives dwell on the topic with never-ending opinions; and continue to negatively highlight an important sector of their economy. Tourism is the largest employer in Goa. All of us can only hope the authorities will once-and-for-all address the Anjuna and related issues; using this tragedy as a reason for a complete make-over of Anjuna and its environs. The Goans (especially the tourist lobby and all those interested in preserving Goan culture) should insist on this, by pressing on their own local elected officials to take action. Kind Regards, GL -------------- Renco <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: The death of Scarlet on our prime beaches of Goa has sent ripples the world over.
