Check your favorite news source

[DavidMN]

Looks like one of the "top 7" FARC guys has finally been captured. Judging by the headlines this is a really big story.

As an aside, it's also interesting to see how breaking news is often disjointed. I've read that he was captured at a medical clinic IN Ecuador BY Ecuadorians...other stories said it happened in a jungle border and was a joint effort by Ecuador, Colombia and the U.S. authorities. Regardless who claims credit, it's a good way for Colombia to start the year.

David

[cancunhound]

... in response to Check your favorite news source, posted by DavidMN on Jan 3, 2004

Apparently AP made the initial error and it has snowballed to numerous sources.  Although Trinidad is the highest ranking FARC member ever captured, apparently he was not a member of the ruling secretariat (el-pais listed the top 6 as Manuel Marulanda Vélez, Timoleón Jiménez, Raúl Reyes, Iván Márquez, Alfonso Cano and Jorge Briceño).  The author Garry M. Leech (Killing Peace) interviewed Trinidad back in 2000 - the text is here:

http://www.colombiajournal.org/colombia15.htm

[DavidMN]

... in response to AP wire was incorrect, posted by cancunhound on Jan 5, 2004

You're right about the snowball. Three days after the fact I still see the term 'secretariat' in U.S. and foreign news sources and conflicting news on whether he was being treated for prostate cancer or a jungle-related disease (cannot remember the name; crotch rot maybe). ;-)

I think the 7th member of the secretariat, however that's defined, recently died of natural causes at age 68.

Ever click on the "conflict pics" link on the Colombia Journal site - the ones in black and white by Jason P. Howe? Powerful, but gruesome.

http://www.colombiajournal.org/links.htm

-David

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Check your favorite news source, posted by DavidMN on Jan 3, 2004

Colombia captured on of the seven secretariat that rules the FARC.  Yahoo reports:

"The capture comes after the commander of the Colombian army, Gen. Martin Orlando Carreno, made it his New Year's resolution to capture or kill at least one of the seven secretariat members within a year, or resign."

Wow!  That's about the same as if I said my New Years resolution is to make a million dollars this year, and then on January 2 I won the lottery.

Steve

[ITESM]

... in response to New Years Resolution, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jan 3, 2004

teest...nc

[NightRaven]

... in response to New Years Resolution, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jan 3, 2004

""The capture comes after the commander of the Colombian army, Gen. Martin Orlando Carreno, made it his New Year's resolution to capture or kill at least one of the seven secretariat members within a year, or resign.""

*Wonders if that included a "detailed" notice to the grunts in the field as to just how much of his "retirement anxiety" was going to be vented on them during the next year*

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Re: New Years Resolution, posted by NightRaven on Jan 3, 2004

And it's not only water.