TM - Mexican army remains silent after Nuevo Progreso attack

From my archive of press clippings:

The Monitor

Mexican army remains silent after Nuevo Progreso attack

December 08, 2009 7:50 AM

Jared Taylor and Sean Gaffney

The Monitor

NUEVO PROGRESO — Mexican authorities refused to release details Monday of the deadly weekend shooting that sent hundreds of American tourists scurrying for cover as at least two people were gunned down.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"No U.S. casualties have been reported in the Saturday afternoon gun battle that erupted at the end of a city-organized celebration to welcome Winter Texans back to this popular tourist spot. While two people were reportedly killed, it is unclear whether rumors of higher death tolls are unfounded or if any bystanders were harmed in the volley of gunfire.

U.S. authorities offered few details of their own, saying Mexican officials have not been forthcoming with them either."

"Mexican army reportedly battled with gunmen less than an hour after hundreds of Winter Texans — retirees from the U.S. and Canada who winter in the Rio Grande Valley — danced, ate, drank and gambled during the city’s annual “Welcome Back Winter Texans Fiesta.” Most lingered after the festivities ended about 1 p.m. that day."

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"Law enforcement in the U.S. set up posts on the American side of the international bridge, which was shuttered to southbound traffic for several hours after the shooting. Streams of Winter Texans fled northbound back to the U.S. in the early evening after the chaos that gripped the city died down."

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Monitor staff writer Martha L. Hernandez contributed to this report.
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Sean Gaffney covers business and general assignments for The Monitor. Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach them at (956) 683-4000.

WP - Tijuana Strip Turns Ghostly In Wake of Drug Violence. As Tourists Increasingly Shun Mexico's Border Cities, Many Businesses Can't Survive.

From my archive of press clippings:

Washington Post

Tijuana Strip Turns Ghostly In Wake of Drug Violence. As Tourists Increasingly Shun Mexico's Border Cities, Many Businesses Can't Survive.

By Manuel Roig-Franzia

Washington Post Foreign Service

Monday, June 16, 2008; Page A15

TIJUANA, Mexico -- A shop on Avenida Revolucion was once considered a surefire gold mine.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Daylight gun battles, beheadings and kidnappings have scared away tourists, forced layoffs and turned some areas of once-vibrant Mexican border cities into virtual ghost towns.

The drug wars, which have killed more than 6,000 people in the past 2 1/2 years, have accelerated a decline that merchants also blame on the U.S. economic slowdown and delays at the border because of increased enforcement.

In Tijuana, where at least 200 people have been killed in drug violence this year, merchants say tourism is down as much as 90 percent compared with 2005, when an estimated 4 million people visited."

"The downturn has had less obvious consequences, even endangering public health.

In Tijuana's now mostly empty strip clubs, prostitutes have grown so desperate that they are increasingly willing to engage in risky behavior such as having unprotected sex."

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"Mexican tourism officials are alarmed and have accused Mexican and U.S. media of exaggerating the violence."