Warden Message: Guayaquil, Ecuador Taxicab Warning

OSAC.gov ^ | April 24, 2009 | n/a

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report Warden Message: Guayaquil, Ecuador Taxicab Warning CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS Americas - Ecuador 24 Apr 2009

Printer Friendly Email Article RELATED REPORTS 23 Apr 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: ECUADOR NATIONAL ELECTIONS- APRIL 26 12 Feb 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: CAUTION URGED OVER ECUADOR'S CHAQUINAN CYCLING PATH 29 Jan 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: QUITO, ECUADOR, HOME INVASIONS 16 Jan 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: ECUADOR DEMONSTRATION JANUARY 20 14 Jan 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: QUITO, ECUADOR, PROTESTS ANTICIPATED JANUARY 15 U.S. Consulate Guayaquil released the following Warden Message on April 24:

The U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil wishes to inform American citizens visiting or resident in Ecuador that U.S. citizens should practice extreme caution when using taxis in the Guayaquil area. Recently, there have been several incidents involving taxis, including one in which three U.S. citizens were physically threatened and robbed after entering a taxi from the ‘Malecón 2000’, a boardwalk and tourist area in downtown Guayaquil.

In these incidents, locally known as “secuestro express,” taxi drivers and accomplices threaten passengers, usually with guns, and hold them captive as they drive them from ATM to ATM to withdraw the victim’s money. There have been cases of “secuestro express” in up-scale areas in Guayaquil such as Urdesa, the Malecón 2000, and outside of the San Marino Mall. Therefore, U.S. citizens should use caution when selecting a cab regardless of location.

It is important to practice personal security when selecting a taxi. Whenever possible, call a radio taxi rather than hailing a taxi on the street. If you must hail a taxi on the street, take note of the license plate number and take a good look at the driver before entering the taxi. Never enter a taxi that offers the promise of taking you to clubs, bars, or any other unfamiliar location if you did not ask to go there. Send a text to a family member or friend with the taxi make, model, and license plate number before getting into the taxi. If you find yourself involved in a robbery, be non-confrontational and cooperate with the criminal. Nothing material is as valuable as your safety.

A list of radio taxi companies in Guayaquil is available on the Consulate’s website (http://guayaquil.usconsulate.gov). The American Consulate General in Guayaquil and the U.S. Government assume no responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the persons or firms listed therein.

If U.S. citizens are involved in a criminal incident, they are encouraged to file a “denuncia,” or “theft report,” with the local police and inform the American Citizens Services Office at the U.S. Consulate General Guayaquil or the U.S. Embassy in Quito. ____________________________________________________________________________

Americans living or traveling in Ecuador are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Ecuador. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. Please see the following links for local warden message information in Quito and Guayaquil, respectively, http://ecuador.usembassy.gov and http://guayaquil.usconsulate.gov.

U.S. citizens should consult the Country Specific Information for Ecuador and the latest Travel Alerts and Warnings and Worldwide Caution at the Department's web site at http://travel.state.gov. Updated information on travel and security in Ecuador may also be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States or by calling 1-202-501-4444 outside the United States.

The U.S. Embassy in Quito is located at Avigiras E12-170 y Eloy Alfaro. The telephone during business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) is (011) 593 2 398 5000 X3800. Within the same city use the last seven digits. Add the city code for intercity telephone calls. See also the Embassy web site at http://ecuador.usembassy.gov. American Citizen walk-in hours are between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Thursday, excluding U.S. and Ecuadorian holidays.

The U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil is located at the corner of Avenida 9 de Octubre and Garcia Moreno (near the Hotel Oro Verde); telephone (011-593-4) 232-3570 during business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) or 232-1152 for after-hours emergencies; fax (011-593-4) 232-0904. See the Consulate General web site at http://guayaquil.usconsulate.gov

[cripplecreek]

Actually I’ve read that taxis in a lot of countries can be a problem.

[bpjam]

I asked the driver this morning how much to get to Quayaquil and he said $37,435 plus tip. I didn’t have that much on me so I just went to Bellagio instead since it was as far as he would take me for $2.59 and an unopened can of Red Bull.

[DainBramage]

I ran sequestro express through a translator and it came out ‘Stimulus package”.

[MamaDearest]

Personal safety - Ecuador

Snippets: 
Armed Robbery - Do not hike alone or in small groups in certain regions



This is one of the most unfortunate aspect of the rising crime in Ecuador as hikers sometimes get robbed at gunpoint in the middle of seemingly nowhere with even cases of rapes of women. The regions most dangerous for that are the ones around Otavalo, Lagunas Mojanda and Cuicocha and around Quito, especially the Pichincha area. There are also reports about assaults in the Chimborazo area. It is very difficult to predict what area to avoid as the criminals seem to move around and concentrate at certain regions for a period of time. So be aware that it can happen anywhere. Do not expect any help from police as in those areas there are not any.




Kidnapping - Northern Amazon region bordering Colombia



This region is becoming now more problematic in terms of your personal safety. With the introduction of the 1.4 billion US sponsored Colombia Drug Plan, Putumayo, the Colombian province just north of Ecuador became one of the main targets of the eradication of coca plants. Putumayo is also becoming more and more a battleground between leftist FARC guerrillas, rightwing paramilitary units and regular Colombian military forces. All this has a spillover effect into Ecuador. FARC guerrillas and paramilitary fighters are using this part of the Ecuadorian Amazon basin since years as safe heavens and bases. Lago Agrio, also called Nueva Loja, the main town in the area is a major supply center for those forces. The first signs of safety problems were the kidnapping of mainly Canadian oil workers and later another 10 people, involved in the oil business got kidnapped. Some tourists followed later. Kidnapping is a huge business in Colombia and also has its hold in Ecuador. So be advised that those problems exist in this area along the Colombian border if you have the intention of visiting Lago Agrio and Cuyabeno National Park.