British Minister Says Costa Rica Police Not Co-Operating On Missing Journalist
By David Dixon, PRNEMonday, July 11, 2011
LONDON, July 12, 2011 -
A British government minister has said Costa Rican police are
responsible for preventing police co-operation in the search for
missing journalist Michael Dixon.
“Any request from the Costa Rican authorities for assistance
would need to come from the OlJ [the Organismo de Investigacion
Judicial, a part of the interior ministry] … An invitation has
not been forthcoming,” UK minister Jeremy Browne said in a letter
to the Dixon family dated 28 June.
Browne highlighted that the OIJ position goes against the words
of Costa Rica foreign minister Rene Castro, who “has indicated that
he would welcome the help of the British police to solve Michael’s
case.”
Browne ruled out putting diplomatic pressure on Costa Rica in
the same way that Prime Minister David Cameron recently urged
Portugal in the case of Madeleine McCann.
“The involvement of the Metropolitan Police Service in the
McCann case is to review the available material. However, the case
remains filed in Portugal and while the search remains active we
are unable to comment on any specific details of the
investigation,” said UK minister Jeremy Browne.
Michael Dixon vanished after leaving his hotel room in
Tamarindo, Costa Rica, on 18 October 2009. The OIJ has given up
looking for him after first claiming he drowned on the basis of no
evidence.
“This case will never be solved unless the Metropolitan police
gets involved. [Foreign minister] Castro himself said the OIJ is
not up to the job,” Michael’s brother, David Dixon said.
“We are being fobbed off with red tape on all sides. Is Michael
a second class British citizen compared to the McCanns?”
Over a dozen EU, Canadian and US nationals have been either
murdered or have vanished in Costa Rica in the past two years. Most
of the cases go unsolved.
The Dixon family will on 19 July mark Michael’s 35th
birthday.
ATTACHMENTS
BROWNE letter to Dixon family:
www.helpfindmichaeldixon.com/update/response-jeremy-browne-28th-june-2011-part1
helpfindmichaeldixon.com/update/response-jeremy-browne-28th-june-2011-part2
Dixon letter to CAMERON:
helpfindmichaeldixon.com/update/appeal-letter-david-cameron-24-may-2011
LINKS
BBC story quoting RENE CASTRO
news.bbc.co.uk/2/mobile/programmes/fast_track/9485099.stm
BBC documentary on Michael Dixon
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/fast_track/9478002.stm
Download COME HOME - charity single in support of missing people
DAVID DIXON, info at helpfindmichaeldixon.com; or ANDREW RETTMAN (Dixon family spokesman) +32-485-754-741, ar at euobs.com
Tags: Costa Rica, David Dixon, July 12, London, United Kingdom
