6 arrested in Ecuador over murder of Japanese honeymooner

Amazing what public outcry can accomplish. This gang was probably operating for some time and nobody cared. However, when enough international tourist money is threatened the government takes notice. At least these lowlifes were removed from the streets. I hope Mariko can get some solace from this.

the gang’s alleged leader, who goes by the name “La Vaca” (“The Cow”).

should be "La Baka" the stupid!

i just hope these are the real culprits. but since it took a month to find them, and not a few days, that's a good sign.

Serrano indicated that a government official will travel to Japan to report the capture and provide “an additional apology” to the victims’ families.

Someone has properly informed the Ecuadorian government of how things are done in Japan.

Ecuador has serious crime problems. Its murder rate is almost FIVE times as high as the US rate, and the US is already extremely violent by developed-world standards. There's simply no excuse for that to be the case. And you can't use "poverty" or "income disparities" as an excuse, either - countries with even worse poverty problems such as India have much lower rates of murder.

@Kaimyacahl, I remember reading many stories in the '90s about workers lured to Japan by the promise of good wages only to be put to slave labor working in the "entertainment" industry and never being heard from again. There were no investigations and no prime ministers offering apologies. Japan is not above any country in the world. People tend to look at the 'haves' as being better than everyone else. Fact is, wealth is the main the factor which governs how "civilized'' a country is in this world. Reverse the situations and you'll see I'm basically correct. I doubt countries like Japan, the U.S. and the EU nations could actually handle being truly poor.

In Ecuador, you can be murdered by getting on an illegal taxi late at night. In the US, you can get murdered for attending school or a movie theater. The kind of danger is different. I cannot believe people can dare to make comparisons between countries based on a single number taken out of context. Even if you do take the murder rate into account, Ecuador still is relatively safe in the region.

@juandiego Fonseca

Murder is murder there is no comparison. the comparison between Ecuador and the US is Ecuador is a third world country which means very poor and when you have people living below the world standards this is the kind of cold hearted people you will find and you call that a safe country i dont think so the probability of getting robbed and killed is very high in Ecuador I would take my chances in the US anytime than being alone at night in Ecuador or any third world country!

RIP. Hope they get lock those criminal soon.

In Ecuador, you can be murdered by getting on an illegal taxi late at night. In the US, you can get murdered for attending school or a movie theater. The kind of danger is different. I cannot believe people can dare to make comparisons between countries based on a single number taken out of context.

Ecuador has the fourth-highest murder rate of 13 South American countries for which there is data. The rate is almost quadruple the rate for the U.S., and more than 60 times the rate for Japan. Dead in a taxi, dead in a movie theater: Dead is dead--and it's much more likely in Ecuador than in countries that are not war zones. There is no context that will change this fact.

Kaimycahl:

@Elbuda Mexicano idiot fools are they both the same? Also logically thinking if you can why would Japanese kill a guy from the Banana republic as you put it?

A nepalese man was beaten to death by 3 Japanese thugs in Osaka not one year ago. Yes, Japan is relatively safe, but logically thinking it is just as capable of senseless murder as anywhere else.

Statistically, Japan is one of the safest nations on the planet. Yes, there is some violence; there is no preventing such things as mental illness and so forth, but culturally, Japanese society is "civilized." I'm not sure I understand why someone living in paradise would visit Quito on a honeymoon. Why not just swim with sharks?

What a horrible crime. I believe a proper punishement would be a firing squad with no blidnfolds for these awful thugs. And the president should do the applogizing in person.

Its about time the detective in that country started doing their jobs.

Why are idiot fools going on about the USA being safer that Third World banana republics?? Not much to brag about!! Anyway, say Ecuadorians were killed in Japan by Japanese thugs, would Japan go and say sorry all the way to Ecuador??

@Elbuda Mexicano idiot fools are they both the same? Also logically thinking if you can why would Japanese kill a guy from the Banana republic as you put it?

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 29, 2014 - 06:57PM JST Anyway, say Ecuadorians were killed in Japan by Japanese thugs, would Japan go and say sorry all the way to >Ecuador??

If the circutamstances were equally tragic (newly married victims on their honeymoon) yes I think they would.