Thorn Tree travel forum

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"kpuk" I'm very sorry to hear about yet another disappearance of tourists in South America. If you are a relative of Peter or Katharina, I really wish you strength and courage and I hope people will manage to find them back a.s.a.p.

The webpage you link to speaks about their bankaccounts systematically being emptied between Jan. 26 and Febr. 1. It's the 9th of February meanwhile. I'm not able to find any newsstory (online, that is) about them yet (in S. America nor in Austria). Yet I assume that police in Austria as well as Bolivia and of course also their Embassy were meanwhile activated. Can that be confirmed?

The webpage shows the appeals in 4 languages (English, German, Spanish and Hebrew), and it has quite a number of photos of the missing couple. Copying the English text in here for those who are on a slow internet connection.

Quote

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Hello,
Our two missing people were on a world trip. Their names are:

• Peter Kirsten Rabitsch (born Sept.16,1977, Passport Nr.: L 0020759 5, Austrian citizen), and

• Katharina Koller (born June 8, 1980, Passport Nr.: J 0375942, Austrian citizen).

Last time we heard from them was through an e-mail on the Jan. 24, 2006, at 7:33pm (local Bolivian time). From that e-mail we understood that they had arrived on that day and spent their day in Cobacapana, Bolivia.

For the following day (Jan. 25) they were planning to go for a trip to Isla del Sol, an island on Titicaca Lake. From then on, we don’t know anything about their exact location; only that they planned to travel on to La Paz, and afterwards to continue travelling to Santiago de Chile via the land route (in approximately 6 days).

The never made it to their flight which was booked from Santiago de Chile to Sydney on Feb. 06, 2006.

Bank statements of their accounts show that both their accounts have been systematically emptied, that is, the maximum withdrawal amount has been taken out each day. Between Jan. 26.- Feb 1 the withdrawals took place in La Paz, on Feb 1st in Oruro, then on Feb 2nd in Sucre, from the 3rd-5th in Cochabamba. Both bank accounts have now been closed.

We are very worried about them!

Please send any information about the missing to the following e-mail address: katharinaandpeter@gmx.net

---

Can't help you with any tips or advice though, I'm afraid. All I know about latest events in Bolivia is in regard of the severe floods there.

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#Also two belgians got missing in venezuela lately... nobody claimed

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Sorry to hear more people are missing. I was also searching for news online about this case and didn´t find anything. I suppose that police and the embassy are working on this. Maybe a press coverage could help to know whats going on but it can also be a risk, If you need any help to contact media or anything by mail or phone in spanish, let me know (send me a PM). I live in Argentina and and have contacts with media in Bolivia and Chile too.

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@ Peejee
In the case of the two missing Belgians (latest news) who disappeared in Venezuela, tragically enough the authorities called off the real intensive search as per the 3rd week of January. They went missing ever since November 22 last year in the Sierra Nevada Sanctuary.

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one possible point to start an investigation in La Paz would be the area of the Cementerio (cemetary) - almost all busses arriving from Copacabana end there - this area has a pretty bad reputation (esp. after nightfall - and if they made it back from the Isla, they probably arrived in La Paz around 6 pm) - there are gangs specialized in picking up single people or couples in unlicensed (often stolen) taxis at the bus stop, at the next corner two or three robbers jump in and robb the passengers on gun or knife point.

Try to make it in the newspapers and in La Paz,EVEN BETTER get in the evening news and radio news - you reach way more people this way than just with newspapers - it shouldn´t be a problem to get in the important news shows like PAT,
offer a recompensation for any valuable hints - a certain sum opens a lot of mouths - and kick your consul in La Paz in the a*** if he doesn´t move quickly to help you (I know him, he´s not the quickest guy) - as you don´t have a real embassy there might be also the German Embassy can help you. There´s also a Austrian Handelsdelegierter in La Paz, Mr. Kautsch(from Linz), he might be of help too as he definitely has valuable contacts - it is a huge difference if someone from abroad calls or if a guy with a name in the town (everyone knows everyone in La Paz) shows up.

I guess that the key for the dissapearance must lay either in Copacabana or La Paz.

Crossing my fingers for you!

as general warning:

if arriving in this area - better take one of the big city busses downtown, if you take a taxi just pick licensed taxis, if someome else tries to get in get out, scream and make a lot of noise if other people are around (robbers fear the mob)

buen viaje www.summitpost.org/user_page.php?user_id=35777

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Mieke - no prob ! ;-)
Yes maybe the temp threads would be a good idea, but then again nobody ever seems to visit the FAQ, so posting it a few times in the branch itself, maybe even if it annoys some people, seems a good idea...

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So, did you get direct response and tips also yet, "kpuk"?
It doesn't look as if there is any mention already in the online media. Is that being worked on?

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"kpuk" please get back here and reply to the questions re. whether or not the Austrian authorities are treating this alleged disappearance seriously. I can’t find any mention about these two people anywhere else online but on Thorn Tree. So please clarify.

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Checked the online La Paz media but couldn't find anything as of today. I heard in late Nov/early Dec of a young couple who'd been kidnapped in/near Copacabana (Bol.) and held while their bank accounts were emptied, but then released. I've been out of Bolivia since though so have heard nothing else on this story - does anybody else have any info, particularly whether the people who did it were caught? Would be a lead worth following up if not.

A member of the stolen posts generation.

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A travelsite about travelling in South America is now reporting about the disappearance of this the couple from Austria; apparently after "kpuk" posted a similar appeal on their forum.

Missing Couple in Bolivia, dated February 10.

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bump

fotos musing

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Hello kpuk,
I have just read your thread, my name is Stefan Pope, and come from Manchester, England. The situation you are faced with sounds very similar to the situation me and my family are now facing. My Mother Jenny Pope, went missing on the 9th January from the Ecuadorian town of Banos, she was last seen at 7:30am (loval time) making her way to the bus station, to Quito to arrange an earlier flight home. She had been backpacking around South America alone since late September, and was just about to get her flight home. Whilst my Mother's dissappearence happened a few weeks before your tragedy, her bank account was systematically emptied, first at 9:31am on the morning she went missing in Banos, then the transactions moved north-east to the town of Santo Domingo, where it had about 1,500 english pounds (or more) withdrawn, we are waiting on some CCTV footage, that has supposedly caught the withdrawers on film in Santo Domingo. I note also that on her way to Peru, and then to Ecuador, my mother stayed a while in Bolivia, and stopped in La Paz, and in Cochabamba. Please contact me. I am truely very sorry and concerned to hear that someone else is going through a similar situation to me and my Father, no one should have to endure it. The two incidents seem so alike, and happened so close togeather, that I feel alot may be gained from pooling our information, and progress. Our appeal has so far been on

http://www.myspace.com/mossleyjen
and our public contact point is at
jenpope06@hotmail.com

I am so sorry for you once again, please contact us,
Stefan Pope.

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Hello all,

I´m a personal friend of the two missing.

I can assure you that all authorities in Austria and in Bolivia (as well as Chile and Peru) are informed and doing their best to find the two missing.
I will ask kpuk (sister of Peter) to post more actual information here - but please understand that they all can´t check every forum they posted on regularly or forget to check some.

The point with broader media coverage is something the families didn´t want to do SO FAR - they have their reasons and everyone should accept this. Maybe they will do something in the next days.

Nevertheless the message has already been spreed rather far - especially under travellers and bolivians in bolivia.

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For your information: this is a Direct link to the sticky post RomanB made on page 1 of this forum, in view of several travellers now missing in South America (Jenny Pope from the U.K. and Katharina and Peter from Austria).

In the meantime - untill now - that new post received 2 replies from Standanista as well and addressed to "kpuk", so please go take a look at it.