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Pay the Ransom
Err Travel · October 31, 2000

In more and more parts of the world, kidnapping is replacing robbery as the preferred way to accumulate ill-gotten wealth.

And why not? With a little planning and just a little more effort, a bandit can increase his earnings from a few hundred dollars per incident to several million.

One only has to read about how Ghalib Andang and his chums in the Philippines to understand the popularity of kidnapping-for-ransom among local desperados. Andang has managed to turn the abduction of three dozen tourists and resort workers into as much as $1 million each for their return. With their misbegotten riches, Andang and his fellow thugs are able to buy up all the firepower they need to keep government troops at bay, perpetrate future kidnappings, and still have cash left over to indulge themselves with a little jewelry.

There is no question that there is big money to be made in kidnapping. Consequently there is no question that this criminal activity will continue to increase. This trend brings up a couple of issues for the traveler.

The near-term question is, "What can I do to minimize my risk of being taken and held for ransom?"

That's easy: Simply avoid traveling to places where kidnappers are active. These are often remote, loosely protected locations where political unrest is prevalent. Locations, for instance, such as Kashmir, Yemen, Colombia (the hands-down king-of-the-hill when it comes to kidnapping), and of course, Sipadan Island, where Andang snatched up his victims.

Now the bigger question. How can kidnapping for ransom be eliminated?

Solutions to this nettlesome problem have, for the most part, eluded governments. For one thing, governments are divided - at least publicly - on how to deal with these thugs. Some governments simply cough up the dough, get their citizens back, and move on. Other governments take a firm do-not-pay-no-matter-what stand. (Though tough stands are often more apparent than real, as negotiations frequently take place through third-party governments or private intermediaries.)

I'm pretty much in the do-not-pay corner on this issue - except, of course, if it were me or my family who were being held hostage, in which case I'd prefer to see the kidnappers given whatever they want. Therein lies the problem. Like individuals, tough-talking governments become more sanctimonious when it is their citizens under the blindfolds.

I've got another idea. This one is based on a notion that loyalty among criminals is often built on simple material incentives (i.e., money). By upsetting these incentives, loyalty can be reversed, and kidnappers can be put out of business.

Here's my proposal for a universal, cooperative, government policy that would put the kibosh on kidnapping-for-ransom.

Once a kidnapping has occurred, the following steps would automatically be taken:

1. A $100,000 bounty for each victim held is placed on the head of the kidnapper-in-charge. (No fair turning yourself in.)

2. If victims are released unconditionally within 24 hours of their capture and no harm has been done to them, the bounty will be withdrawn and the kidnapper will face lesser charges.

3. For everyday a victim is held beyond 24 hours, the bounty increases $10,000.

4. Ransom will be paid in whatever amount the kidnapper requests. (What!? It's okay, read on.)

5. Once a victim has been freed, an amount double the ransom paid will be added to the accumulated bounty for the kidnapper.

Is this a crazy idea? Maybe.

Maybe a kidnapper can collect $12 million in ransom money after holding a dozen tourists hostage for a month. And maybe he can walk unconcerned among his compatriots. And maybe his fellow hoodlums are not at all tempted to earn themselves a cool $30 million with just one shot. And maybe not.

Dr. Terry Riley is a psychologist and travel security authority. His column appears on Wednesdays. He is author of the popular book Travel Can Be Murder. Visit his site at http://www.appliedpsychology.com or e-mail him at terry@ticked.com.