| |
|
If you want to avoid death before you even arrive at your final
destination, here are some tips the U.S. Government provides to help
you avoid such a fate. The following is excerpted from Department of
State Publication Number # 10217. Security Awareness
Overseas - An Overview. Bureau of Diplomatic Security - United
States Department of State Overseas Security Advisory Council. |
| |
|
At Overseas
Airports |
| |
- Maintain a
low profile, and avoid public areas as much as possible. Check in
quickly and do not delay in the main terminal area. Do not discuss
travel plans indiscriminately.
|
- Survey
surroundings, noting exits and safe areas. Stay away from
unattended baggage. Verify baggage claim checks before and after
flight. Always maintain custody of your carry-on bag.
|
- If an
incident occurs, survival may depend on your ability to remain
calm and alert. During a terrorist attack or rescue operation, you
do not want to be confused with the terrorists and shot. Avoid
sudden moves; hide behind something and drop to floor.
|
|
Source - The
United States State Department |
| |
|
Surviving
being Kidnapped |
| |
|
Kidnapping is
rampant in many parts of the world. In fact it is a thriving
business in many countries. The U.S. Government provides tips on
what you should do when things go wrong. The following is excerpted
from Department of State, Publication Number # 10217. Security
Awareness Overseas, An Overview - Bureau of Diplomatic Security -
United States Department of State Overseas Security Advisory
Council. |
| |
|
Kidnapping |
| |
|
Kidnapping is a
terrifying experience, but you possess more personal resources than
you may be aware of to cope with the situation. Remember, you are
only of value to them alive, and they want to keep you that way.
|
| |
|
The common
hostage responses of fear, denial, and withdrawal are all
experienced in varying degrees. You may be blindfolded, drugged,
handled roughly, or even stuffed in the trunk of a car. If drugs are
administered, do not resist. Their purpose will be to sedate you and
make you more manageable; these same drugs may actually help you to
get control of your emotions, which should be your immediate goal.
If conscious, follow your captors’ instructions. |
| |
|
Captivity
|
| |
|
A hostage-taking
situation is at its worst at the onset. The terrorists are nervous
and unsure, easily irritated, often irrational. It is a
psychologically traumatic moment for the hostage. Violence may be
used even if the hostage remains passive, but resistance could
result in death. |
| |
|
If taken
hostage, your best defense is passive cooperation. You may be
terrified, but try to regain your composure as soon as possible and
to organize your thoughts. Being able to behave rationally increases
your chances for survival. The more time that passes, the better
your chances of being released alive. |
| |
|
Behavior
Suggestions |
|
Each captivity
is different, but some behavior suggestions apply to most:
|
| |
- Try to
establish some kind of rapport with your captors. Family is a
universal subject. Avoid political dialogues, but listen
attentively to their point of view. If you know their language,
listen and observe; and if addressed, use it.
|
- Plan on a
lengthy stay, and determine to keep track of the passage of time.
Captors may attempt to confuse your sense of time by taking your
watch, keeping you in a windowless cell, or serving meals at odd
hours. However, you can approximate time by noting, for example,
changes in temperatures between night and day; the frequency and
intensity of outside noises—traffic, whistles, birds; and by
observing the alertness of guards.
|
- Maintain
your dignity and self-respect at all times.
|
- Manage
your time by setting up schedules for simple tasks, exercises,
daydreaming, housekeeping.
|
- Build
relations with fellow captives and with the terrorists. If
hostages are held apart, devise ways to communicate with one
another. Where hostages are moved back and forth, to bathrooms for
example, messages can be written and left. However, do not
jeopardize your safety or the safety or treatment of others if
attempting to communicate with fellow captives seems too risky.
|
- Maintain
your physical and mental health; it is critical to exercise body
and mind. Eat food provided without complaint; keep up your
strength. Request medical treatment or special medicines if
required.
|
- Establish
exercise and relaxation programs. Exercise produces a healthy
tiredness and gives you a sense of accomplishment. If space is
confined, do isometrics. Relaxation reduces stress. Techniques
include meditation, prayer, daydreaming. · Keep your mind active;
read anything available. Write, even if you are not allowed to
retain your writings. If materials are not available, mentally
compose poetry or fiction, try to recall Scripture, design a
house, even “play tennis” ( as one hostage did ).
|
- Take note
of the characteristics of your captors and surroundings: their
habits, speech, contacts; exterior noises ( typical of city or
country ); and other distinctive sounds. This information could
prove very valuable later.
|
|
If selected for
early release, consider it an opportunity to help remaining
hostages. Details you have observed on the terrorists and the
general situation can assist authorities with a rescue. |
|
You can expect
to be accused of working for the government’s intelligence service,
to be interrogated extensively, and to lose weight. You may be put
in isolation; your captives may try to disorient you. It is
important that you mentally maintain control. |
| |
|
Avoidance of
Capture or Escape |
| |
|
Efforts to avoid
capture or to attempt escape have in most cases been futile. The
decision, however, is a personal one, although it could affect
fellow hostages by placing them in jeopardy. Several other
considerations should be weighed. |
| |
|
To have any
chance of success, you should be in excellent physical condition and
mentally prepared to react before the terrorists have consolidated
their position. This, also, is the riskiest psychological time. You
would need to have a plan in mind, and possibly have been trained in
special driving tactics or other survival skills. |
| |
|
If you are held
in a country in which you would stand out because of race or other
physical characteristics, if you know nothing of the language or
your location, or if you are held in a country where anti-American
or anti-Western attitudes prevail, you should consider the
consequences of your escape before attempting it. If you conclude
that an escape attempt is worthwhile, take terrorists by surprise
and you may make it. If their organization has a poor track record
of hostage safety, it may be worth the risk. |
| |
|
Rescue
|
| |
|
The termination
of any terrorist incident is extremely tense. If an assault force
attempts a rescue, it is imperative that you remain calm and out of
the way. Make no sudden moves or take any action by which you could
be mistaken for a terrorist and risk being injured or killed.
|
| |
|
Even in a
voluntary release or surrender by the terrorists, tensions are
charged and tempers volatile. Very precise instructions will be
given to the hostages, either by the captors or the police. Follow
instructions precisely. You may be asked to exit with hands in the
air, and you may be searched by the rescue team. You may experience
rough treatment until you are identified and the situation has
stabilized. |
| |
|
Finally, it’s
worth keeping in mind three facts about terrorism: |
- The
overwhelming majority of victims have been abducted from their
vehicles on the way to or from work.
|
- A large
number of people taken hostage ignored the most basic security
precautions.
|
- Terrorist
tactics are not static. As precautions prove effective, they
change their methods. There is a brief “window of vulnerability”
while we learn to counter their new styles.
|
|
Additional
Precautions: |
| |
|
Do not settle
into a routine. Vary times and routes to and from work or social
engagements. |
| |
Remember, there
is safety in numbers. Avoid going out alone. When traveling long
distances by automobile, go in a convoy. Avoid back country roads
and dangerous areas of the city.
|
|
A privately
owned car generally offers the best security. Avoid luxury or
ostentatious cars. Keep your automobile in good repair and the gas
tank at least half full. Driving in the center lane of a multiple
lane highway makes it difficult for the car to be forced off the
road. |
| |
|
Source - The
United States State Department |
| |
|
Surviving
Hijackings |
| |
|
Hijackings are
bad news. The U.S. Government provides tips on what you should do
once a group of men in masks, boards your plane and orders it to fly
to hell, probably where their from. The following is excerpted from
Department of State Publication Number # 10217. Security
Awareness Overseas, An Overview - Bureau of Diplomatic Security -
United States Department of State, Overseas Security Advisory
Council. |
| |
|
Hijackings
|
| |
|
The experience
of others will be helpful to you if you are the victim of a
hijacking. Blend in with the other airline passengers. Avoid eye
contact with your captors. Remember there may be other hijackers
covertly mixed among the regular passengers. |
| |
|
Although captors
may appear calm, they cannot be trusted to behave reasonably or
rationally at all times. Stay alert, but do not challenge them
physically or verbally. Comply with their instructions. |
| |
|
If interrogated,
keep answers short and limited to nonpolitical topics. Carry a
family photo; at some point you may be able to appeal to captors'
family feelings. |
| |
|
Minimize the
importance of your job. Give innocuous reasons for traveling. Never
admit to any accusations. |
| |
|
Armed
Assault on the Ground |
| |
|
Hostages taken
by ground assault are in a situation similar to hijacking except
that it occurs within buildings. Business offices, banks, embassies,
and trains have been targets. The same advice for dealing with
hijackers applies to ground assaults. Should shooting occur, seek
cover or lie flat on the floor. |
| |
|
Source - The
United States State Department |
StarClassifieds.com
Eye
Catching Additional Services Available:
