Ken

The situation in Aruba over the last two weeks reminds me of the movie, “Jaws,” when the mayor of Amity ignores the warning about the shark problem and keeps the beaches open. What is going on in Aruba is exactly the same.

Authorities in Aruba - a domicle with no meaningful professional crimminal investigation resources -- have been extremely slow to bring in support from the outside in finding this girl. Up until a week ago, the head of the government in Aruba was actually insisting they could handle this "on their own."

Yep, no professional search teams, no bloodhounds, no boats with side-scan radar (THE tool you use when you are trying to locate a body that is underwater close to shore). Which suggests they obviously had another agenda. The Aruban government was less interested in finding Natalee and more interested in sweeping this unfortunate incident under the straw rug, hoping that bookings didn't get cancelled and that future tourists wouldn't get scared away..

Which is why it took them 9 DAYS -- yes, NINE -- to FINALLY arrest the prime supects, the three men who left the bar with Natalee that night.

NINE DAYS.

This morning they FINALLY arrested Joran Andreas Petrus Van Der Sloot, a student at Aruba International School who is studying to be a...judge....(and whose father is a judge in Aruba), along with two Surinamese brothers idenfitied only as Satish and Deepak K.

Throughout the course of this seemingly illogical, backwater-style "investigation," I have wondered why the three young men who saw her last – the obvious, logical primary suspects – were questioned and released so quickly.

However, as a result of the three pals' initial statements, the government made a big show out of the arrest of two former security guards, Jones and Johns, who were never seen by anyone with Natalee. The "evidence" against these two? Reputations for hanging around the tourist places bumming cigarettes or flirting with women. These two "fall guys" have now been held in custody since last week awaiting "further developments" (which per Dutch law can take months) which would determine whether they are ever formally charged with a crime.

In the meantime, Van Der Sloot, who is alleged to have had a so-called “romantic relationship” with Natalee the last night of her trip, has had nine days to:

- clean up his car
- ditch any clothing and other incriminating items
- pay off his friends
- call in chips
- and swear to daddy -- the high ranking local official -- that he had absolutely, positively nothing to do with Natalee’s disappearance.

Either the Aruban investigators were bluffing by arresting Jones and Johnson and carefully watching Van Der Sloot -- to see if he behaved like someone with something to hide -- or they are spectacularly, blatantly incompetent. Now that there is finally a strong FBI presence on the island, I would prefer to believe that this was a deliberate strategy to flush out the real perpetrator, and that Satish and Deepak will now sing like canaries, but that may just be wishful thinking.

Whatever, the reality of this event is finally emerging. Natalee was apparently smitten with the charming and resourceful Van Der Sloot, who appears in every photograph scattered around the Internet clutching an alcoholic beverage or in some curiously compromising position. Unfortunately, his plans for a waterfront liason with a drunken female tourist must have gone terribly awry, and his possible attempt to cover up subsequent reckless behavior has put a rather hedonistic life in the international spotlight, one so powerful that even daddy -- and the Aruban government -- cannot extinguish it.