Sunday, October 5, 2008

FIERY DEATH FOR VIJAY'S FAMILY

Once again, there are conflicting accounts of a major story. This time it surrounds the deaths of Vijay Persad's relatives at their Moruga home early Saturday morning.
The Guardian's Radhica Sookraj tells us in the first paragraph that "...mother, father and their two young children were burnt beyond recognition...". But further down in the story we read, "Officers said, based on the location of the bodies, it appeared that Persad slept with his son Sanjay, while Ariana slept with her mother Marilyn."
If they were burnt beyond recognition, how were the police officers able to speculate on who slept where?
She also tells us "...the fire started around 2 am on the northern side of the house.".

While Laurel V. Williams of the Newsday tells us "...residents said they were awakened at about 1.15 am on Saturday morning by the loud crackling sound of fire.".
We are also told that "At about 7 am yesterday police officers removed the remains – two from the front bedroom and one each from the two remaining bedrooms.".
And finally this from Miss Williams: "Efforts to contact Malini (daughter of the deceased man and his wife) proved futile...".
Well Laurel, you should have stuck with Express photographer Trevor Watson, who has a photo of a grieving Malini standing next to the burnt house.

While Carolyn Kissoon of the Express tells us "...the fire broke out around 1.30 a.m..", and "...fire officers found the charred remains of four bodies-two were huddled together inside one of the bedrooms, one was in another room and the fourth was crouched in the corner of another bedroom."