Do You Agree With Current Government Policy That We Should Not Pay Ransom To Terrorists Despite Other Countries Doing So?

[ladybirder]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/isis-hostage-threat-which-countries-pay-ransoms-to-release-their-citizens-9710129.html

Sorry I've moved this to News where I meant to put it originally.

[Gromit]

Yep.

If you reward hostage taking, you encourage more kidnappings.

[jourdain2]

Yes, I agree - with a heavy heart - that we should not pay ransom. Terrorists need money to thrive; so all we would be doing is paying for them to continue their horrible ways, buy arms etc. - and to expect that the way to get more money is to capture more hostages. A snowball effect is the result. Problem is that Hollande etc. want an easy way out because their political situations are terrible. If every opposing power refused to pay ransom, then the kidnappings would more or less disappear - it is the appeasers who are responsible for the deaths.

[naomi24]

I do agree, but I wonder how I'd feel if my husband were the hostage in question and about to have his head chopped off. What an appalling situation this is.

[Daffy6543]

Paying ransoms would put more of our citizens in danger of kidnap when they go abroad.

[pixie373]

I agree with Naomi. We should never be blackmailed that way, but it's easy to say if you're not personally affected. If we started paying, where would it go from there, though?

[agchristie]

A lot of countries signed a G8 committment last year not to pay ransoms which was backed by a UN resolution earlier this year. Why is that only the UK and the US have adhered to this?

It seems that where nations are directly affected it is a different matter.... for most.

[nailit]

if I was held hostage (or one of my loved ones) I'd hope my country would pay. A ransom is a drop in the ocean in the great scheme of things. (tax dodging companies etc)

[ladybirder]

I'm really pleased to see that so far we are all agreed on this.
Does anyone know if there is any evidence that those countries that pay a ransom have more hostages taken than those that don't or vice versa? Haven't had time to research this myself yet.

[TWR]

Pay them with what they deserve, a bullet.

[nailit]

"I'm really pleased to see that so far we are all agreed on this."
err, no we are not

[nailit]

Bailing out the greedy bankers (cost? millions of pounds) Companies that dodge tax (millions of pounds).Hitting the poorest in society with bedroom tax and benefit reforms (saving millions of pounds)
The price of a life?
Nothing...

[agchristie]

Yes but Nailit ransom funds finance the terrorists perpetuating the problem!

[ladybirder]

nailit, you posted at 20.15 and so did I, therefore your post wasn't there to be seen when I wrote mine.
So you wouldn't mind funding terrorism then, to save your own life?

[nailit]

And they also save lives ag, sorting out the terroists is another problem.

[nailit]

Oh for Gods sakes, its not about funding terrorism, its about bringing back our own. Bring our own back...alive...and THEN go about finding (or bombing) the perpatrators. Its not rocket science.

[nailit]

A few million quid is NOTHING to the government. They would spend that on a couple of missiles.

[agchristie]

But paying ransoms wont help to sort that problem.

[Hopkirk]

If I am taken hostage DON'T PAY

[nailit]

no ag. it wont. But it will save someones husband, dad, brother, son, etc (and hope its not yours)

[nailit]

PAY...and then use whatever info you can gather (from the hostage) and go after the bar stewards and kill them slowly. Who knows? You might get more info than you imagined.
NOT paying is exacerbating the situation.