Potholers
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3570269.stm

Why is the Mexican President so concerned and raising a stink?Because half of thhe 'team' are members of the British Armed Forces.

So now soldiers,sailors and flyboys aren't allowed to have interesting hobbies in their own time and conduct them in foriegn climates as citizens?

I've not heard of one potholing expedition that has been undertaken as part of ANY miltary strategy.It's an unreliable method of invading a government anyway especially as so many potholers end up having to get help to extricate themselves alive.

Anyway just what could anybody be hiding in a underwater cave with the inherent dangers of underground rivers flooding.

I wonder what political kudos the president is seeking out of this?

Incog.

Well I've had my say.What's your take?

Re: Potholers
 

Its a massive cave system & I wish I ws there (but without the getting stuck bit!)

Re: Potholers
 

I think if all is revealed you will find they were all military personnel on " adventure training " ;)

The team sent out to "rescue" them were also military. :)

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SO? What possible significence has that?

Just what is getting the Mexican's Presidents knickers in such a twist?Surely there are other issues that he should be dealing with that have much more importance?

Re: Potholers
 

He's probably grizzly that his permission wasn't sought before another country performed a military training exercise in his country.

As you rightly say Incog, there must be far more important things he should be dealing with. Still, we all know his name now don't we. ;)

Re: Potholers
 

I still can't see how potholing comes under the heading of a military maneuver.

Re: Potholers
 

I think they were up to something, the military people weren't even on leave...

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And...

:)

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What were they up to?Drowning?

Mind I am fascinated by the underground radio they used but as that is no secret and the blue prints are available freely to anyone to develop I can't see that as the reason to claim any secrecy?

Anyway if they were UP to summat why Mexico?Hardly the spy country of the world is it?I can think of lots of different countries where it might be an idea to be spying but NOT Mexico.:shrug:

Re: Potholers
 

I don't think they were spying Incog, just using the cave systems there for training. :)

Maybe it is a bit like when they go to Norway or whereever for skiing training. :shrug:

Re: Potholers
 

What did they declare as being their reason for entering to country?

Why didnt anyone know they were there potholeing?

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They all entered the country on tourist visas.

I guess there were certain people who did know they were potholing m8. ;)

Re: Potholers
 

exactly my point

Re: Potholers
 

by chance I am reading this book at the moment


http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...261852-4609452

I think that's the same place!

Re: Potholers
 

If this exercise was part of their military training (however trivial), they are on dodgy grounds. The British military can't just go and train in another nation without declaring it/asking permission. If this is just a case of people pursuing their hobbies it's another matter, but if the whole team were military who were not on leave, and the rescuers were as well it does look like military training on a tourist visa and the Mexicans have every right to complain.

Re: Potholers
 

I can't understand why they refused local help to get them out.

Re: Potholers
 

Mainly pride at a guess...

These guys are military types on an adventure training exercise, so they are not on leave - this is quite normal - I have colleagues who go skiing every year with the forces, and it is always counted as paid training...

They are there to pothole - therefore the visitors visas should be enough, they are not doing anything "military", this fuss would not have happened if they were civilians, but for the purposes of this trip, that is what they are... They are not representing the military, they are not doing military training.... I cannot see the problem here...

Just my 2c

Re: Potholers
 

Me neither, I only caught a bit of it on the news but they said it was because they thought the British rescue team would be better trained. I thought this was a bit silly as local people with knowledge of the caves would surely be better, and also if they think the British are better trained, how come they got stuck down there in the first place? :)

Re: Potholers
 

Apparently the Mexican press are taking this pi$$ unmercifully, asking if they were looking for WMD's etc! :D

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Half the team are civilians.

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I got the impression from one of the earlier posts they were all military...

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My mistake sorry!

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However I reckon the Mexican President is after summat?Why,I'm not sure except he is a politician.

Re: Potholers
 

Well, off hand, I can think of 2 things.

1) I believe that he is still a bit miffed about the alleged spying by the UK on his UN delegate.

2) He is probably being pressured by the Mexican equivalents of the Sun, Mail & Express. Imagine if something similar involving foreigners had occurred over here. That unprincipled trio would have headlines screaming about illegal immigrants, spying, why wasn't the government doing something about it, sack Blair, the end of the world is nigh etc!

Re: Potholers
 

Well I heard some muttering on the news yesterday about 'looking for uranium deposits'


I wonder how much it is going to cost the UK government in loans,oversea aid etc.

Or am I just being even more cynical as to his motives?

Re: Potholers
 

The uranium prospecting claim could be because, as I understand it, they were checking for radon, a radioactive daughter product of uranium. There have been problems with radon in houses in places like Cornwall that have uranium-containing rocks (granite is one, I believe).

EDIT Although you can't have caves in granite, can you? Don't caves need limestone that can be dissolved away by water. Does limestone contain uranium; I didn't think so? Help, we need a geologist!