Monday, February 21, 2011

Mexican Open

The "largest tennis tournament in Latin America", The Mexican Open, is due to begin in Acapulco this coming Monday.

Players are being warned however to take caution there due to ever escalating drug cartel violence. In fact "The professional men's tennis association, the ATP, cautioned against travelling outside hotels. Players were advised to leave the city immediately after being eliminated from the tournament."

Jeez!

In Mexico, 34,000 people have been killed since 2006. THIRTY-FOUR THOUSAND.

Several major players have expressed their own safety concerns at playing there. David Nalbandian said "We (players) are a bit scared about this and we're trying to decide what to do."

"Mexico's government has assured the ATP that appropriate security measures have been put in place. Several arrests have been made following a recent spate of drug-related violence in the city.

A weekend of attacks on taxis in the city left 12 drivers or passengers dead, the Associated Press news agency quotes local police as saying. Dozens of cars have also been burned in recent days but the motives were not clear, AP reported. In January, the bodies of 15 headless men were found outside a shopping centre in the resort."

Sounds like a great place for a tennis tournament. These drug cartels have really ruined Mexico as a tourist destination. The government seems helpless or hopeless or hopelessly on the take.

When will the Mexican people feel safe again? 34,000 people killed in less than 5 years is a hideous statistic.


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