Beach Campers Report Terror in Mexico

SignOnSanDiego.com, a web site of the Union Tribune newspaper reports that Americans are increasingly reporting robberies by paramilitary types along the Baja coast. While the site indicates reports are incomplete, and much of their information comes from tallies of internet sites, there are some solid reports of some scary incidents along the Mexican coastline.

In one account, the owner of a California surfer academy said his camping group was set upon by men wearing military clothing and ski masks. Pat Weber said he and his girl friend at first refused to come out of their motorhome--until shots were fired through it. Once outside he says, "They made us get down on all fours -- execution position -- and put guns to our heads." Weber's girlfriend was sexually assaulted by the gunmen, and the banditos left with $10,000 worth of high tech gear. The incident reportedly took place Cuatro Casas, 200 miles south of the US border.

The web site says many Americans say they have experienced similar situations but are afraid to report them to Mexican authorities, choosing to speak out once they get back to the states.

The owner of a tourism club in California says their organization has been calling on Baja tourism authorities to investigate and handle the situation, lest the Mexican state sees a decline in US visitors fearing they'll become crime victims. For the whole story, visit the news site.