| Five articles on page A3 of a daily newspaper began | | | | warnings? Should this writer have not stated that no |
| as follows: | | | | tourist was injured, when in fact there was a report of |
| The special investigations unit has been called in | | | | a tourist who elected to walk alongside a march with |
| after a man was shot and a second man broke his | | | | his video camera, apparently inadvertently receiving a |
| jaw during an arrest... | | | | bit of mace or pepper spray in his face, then smiling |
| A woman described as armed and dangerous is | | | | and laughing it off when questioned by reporters? |
| wanted by police in a home invasion robbery... | | | | Should we demand more particulars from our |
| A man barricaded himself inside a house for | | | | governments upon which we are expected to rely? |
| almost an hour after attacking another man... | | | | Should we perhaps request comparative statistical |
| A man tried to lure a 14-year-old into his truck... | | | | data when advisories are issued, regarding injury to |
| A young man is clinging to life after being shot in | | | | innocents in Canadian and American cities of |
| the head at a west-end community centre... | | | | comparable size to that of Oaxaca? |
| From June through December, 2006, and in fact well | | | | Mexico, with different legal and political systems both |
| into 2007, foreign governments issued initially travel | | | | historically and in contemporary times, would appear to |
| advisories, then outright advice against traveling to | | | | have a different attitude towards protecting its |
| Oaxaca because of purported rampant violence and | | | | citizenry traveling abroad, at least to Canada and the |
| safety concerns, and again more recently warnings | | | | US, and certainly the federal government does not |
| about civil unrest and violence in this southern Mexico | | | | appear to have the same legal liability concerns, not |
| city of about 400,000, a mecca for tourists. New York, | | | | having developed a British common law system which |
| Chicago, L.A. and Toronto remained immune from such | | | | gives residents significant rights regarding claims of |
| government wrath...oddly so given that while residents | | | | negligence. |
| in large Canadian and American cities are regularly | | | | Perhaps the Mexican government should begin to |
| subjected to street violence, no tourist was targeted | | | | issue travel advisories based upon reviewing |
| or injured during months of Oaxacan unrest. | | | | newspapers, wire service and internet reports, and first |
| The excerpts from the City Page referenced above | | | | hand accounts of violence against citizens of Western |
| are not from a Oaxaca newspaper, but rather from | | | | cities. A press release such as the following may be |
| The Toronto Star, April 8, 2007, in the midst of | | | | instructive: |
| arguably one of the most tranquil and peaceful family | | | | Violence erupted against innocent people, some of |
| weekends of the year, Easter. | | | | whom may have been Mexican tourists, in at least five |
| There are many opinions as to why false and | | | | separate incidents over Easter weekend in Toronto. |
| misleading information is disseminated about | | | | We urge our citizens to exercise extreme caution |
| occurrences in Third World countries, and in this case | | | | should they dare to maintain their existing travel plans |
| Mexico (more specifically Oaxaca), while fact based | | | | to that part of Canada. |
| reports from First World countries in the Western | | | | While arguably misleading, at least the facts would be |
| Hemisphere, take Canada for example, do not result in, | | | | accurately stated. We would then see how much |
| for one thing, government advisories. | | | | pressure would be brought to bear by Canada, and |
| Western governments have a history of paternalistic | | | | how fast, upon Mexico to retract its warning. The |
| attitudes towards their citizens dating to the period of | | | | Mexican government would then have received a |
| colonization. It continues to date. Perhaps more | | | | good lesson on how to use diplomacy to convince |
| importantly, during the 20th century civil liability has | | | | foreign governments to be more detailed, accurate |
| become a concern, more so in the US than in Canada | | | | and cautious in issuing advisories. |
| in terms of claims for monetary damages arising out | | | | Before the critics and skeptics jump on the obvious |
| of allegations of negligence perpetrated by | | | | gap in reasoning and fallaciousness of the analogy, |
| governments against citizens: "You had information | | | | they ought to research whether or not the Mexican |
| about civil unrest and the possibility of injury, so why | | | | government issued travel advisories regarding Toronto, |
| didn't you warn me against traveling to Oaxaca?" | | | | Ontario or Canada, in the face of the two incidents |
| What is a Western consul, resident in Oaxaca, to do | | | | bearing the closest similarity in recent memory to the |
| or recommend to his or her principals in Mexico City, | | | | Oaxacan unrest...the Oka reserve uprising and the |
| Washington or Ottawa? Especially when local and | | | | Dudley George killing with associated conflict. |
| international media, each with its own agenda, report | | | | The foregoing should not be relied upon by anyone |
| incidents of unrest and at times violence? Does | | | | considering traveling outside of his or her home |
| governmental due diligence include checking the | | | | country, and the article's intent is not to influence |
| veracity of reports of targeting or injury to tourists, and | | | | anyone's travel plans nor to opine regarding any |
| when there are no such reports, ought they include | | | | government laws, rules, regulations, policies or |
| some such reference to their findings in their | | | | procedures. |