Posted on 02/26/2009 12:18:18 PM PST by nickcarraway
The heroic status of Ingrid Betancourt, who was rescued from six years in the hands of Marxist guerrillas deep in the Colombian jungle, has been shattered by a memoir from her fellow captives.
Miss Betancourt, 47, is being feted by Hollywood producers after it emerged she had spent much of the time chained by her neck to a tree, and subjected to torture, by the terrorist organisation Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
But the most provocative claim from the first book about the experience, Out of Captivity, by three fellow American prisoners, was not about the forced marches in chains and close calls under fire.
It was the extraordinary allegations about the behaviour of Miss Betancourt, a Colombian politician, with dual French nationality.
One of the American prisoners claimed that she was haughty, self-absorbed, stole their food, hoarded books, and risked their lives by informing the guards that they were CIA.
Keith Stansell, 44, a former Marine, told Associated Press: "I watched her try to take over the camp with an arrogance that was out of control. Some of the guards treated us better than she did."
Mr Stansell was freed along with Miss Betancourt, fellow contractors Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsalves, and 11 Colombians, when military agents posing as humanitarian workers in helicopters scooped them out of a jungle clearing in July.
The three Americans take turns narrating their experiences in the 457-page chronicle. The other two agree with Mr Stansell on most issues but not everything, but don't always see eye-to-eye with him on Miss Betancourt who became a worldwide symbol of hostage suffering. Punished for efforts to escape, she spent long periods chained by her neck to trees, suffered from untreated infections and intestinal upsets and endured long marches over punishing terrain.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
If it had been an episode of “Survivor”, the other prisoners would have voted her off the island first. But the chains made that option kind of moot.
Smirk!
she definitely sounds French
What she sounds like is a US liberal.
Do you think our dear Nancy Pelosi would act like that?
And although she was considered "left of center" she criticized the FARC and went into their territory to speak, which is when they grabbed her.
How did FARC treat her?
Punished for efforts to escape, she spent long periods chained by her neck to trees, suffered from untreated infections and intestinal upsets and endured long marches over punishing terrain.
"She's a tough woman," said Mr Gonsalves, 36, who has remained in touch by phone and email. "She used to give those guerrillas a hard time."
As for the remark that "she informed the guerrillas that the contractors were CIA", thats silly. They were CIA contractors; that was in the press from day one.
One of three "contractors" has attacked her in print, the others have not and one of the three is evidently very fond of her. But press being press, you know which one gets the headline, and which one gets buried at the bottom of the piece.
Very good points all.
Betancourt gets the Ann Coulter Award for victim of the year!
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