Government suppressed death figures?

[john_p]

I discovered a few days ago that 3 friends of a friend died in the tsunami. Their deaths have been known about for over a week now, their family informed and have travelled out there to repatirate them.

Their names are not amongst the 39 (now 41) released up until today by the FCO. Granted, Jack Straw announced there may be as many as 200 dead. However these people are "dead" not "missing".

Regardless, the government knows about their deaths, but has not included them in the official death figures.

Why not? How many others are in the same situation? What do they have to gain from doing it?

[love machine]

Overseas votes? I wouldn't put it past them.

[sparkythecat]

I believe that the official line in this country is that the names of anyone killed in an accident of any sort will not be released until after the bodies have been formally identified.

Formal identification involves either a formal inspection of the body by a relative in the presence of an official or incontrovertable scientific evidence such as DNA, Fingerprints or Dental records

And so until they are formally identified, they are not officially dead.

>> Edited by sparkythecat on Tuesday 4th January 13:27

[john_p]

I believe the identification has been done already (relative/DNA)

[sparkythecat]

john_p said:

I believe the identification has been done already (relative/DNA)

I may be wrong but I doubt that it has been confirmed by DNA. I understand that the lab procedures involved in this take more than a few days. Perhaps one of the PH Bibs could clarify this?

[off_again]

You are of course assuming that the said "government" could actually organise a pi55-up in a brewery! Since they have proved to be inept at pretty much everything, I would wait a few days and see from there..... unlikely to be malice, but probably just crass stupidity....

Cant remember who made the comment on PH once, but went along the lines of "dont blame on malice what can be demonstrated by ineptitude"...

[Marki]

off_again said:

You are of course assuming that the said "government" could actually organise a pi55-up in a brewery! Since they have proved to be inept at pretty much everything, I would wait a few days and see from there..... unlikely to be malice, but probably just crass stupidity.... Cant remember who made the comment on PH once, but went along the lines of "dont blame on malice what can be demonstrated by ineptitude"...

There you go ,,, got it in one .

Its typical Gov caution

[john_p]

Or perhaps the figure was kept low because otherwise Blair would have had to cut short his holiday ...

[Buffalo]

Lots of things going on over there - gonna take time for teh info to get back, regardless of nobbish governments. I read the BBC page today and noticed one guy only recently put up, was actually featured on the BBC news as dead several days ago. At the time however, it was only by visual confirmation.

Heat/humidity is making that somewhat difficult now...