The public put significant pressure on the federal government to resolve the kidnapping of high-profile diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay, while showing comparatively little support for missing freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout, documents obtained by CTV.ca reveal.
In the first seven weeks of Fowler and Guay’s four-month-long captivity in Western Africa, Foreign Affairs and senior government officials received several dozen emails from members of the public, pressing for details about their case.
But in Lindhout’s case, only one person bothered to send a letter to Foreign Affairs on her behalf, even after she had been held against her will in Somalia for more than 90 days.
Through the Access to Information Act, CTV.ca recently obtained copies of all of the emails, letters and faxes sent, or forwarded, to Foreign Affairs about Fowler and Guay, during the first seven weeks of their captivity.
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My sympathy to this young woman, her family and friends. I don`t understand why women continue to go to lawless areas of the world and expect to be treated with respect. There have been too many, Yvonne Ridley (British), Khadija Abdul Qahaar – Beverly Giesbrecht (Canadian), etc. They put themselves in danger, their families in agony and pressure for rescue strategies. Hostages are a source of fundraising for these thugs and only cash will get them released.