Lest we forget Juliet Tam

Lest we forget, family members, relatives and friends of the Tam family have made and continue to make, efforts aimed at bringing the situation to a close. It has been quite a long time that the police have given up the chase and have, to all intents and purposes, closed their own books on this matter.

It might be useful here to note the efforts mounted, especially in the early moments and days/nights of confusion and disbelief. Juliet’s parents, siblings, relatives, friends and well-wishers held prayer vigils and consoled one another with kindness and words of courage. Teams of concerned folks were formed and embarked on sorties, scouring just about every area of the Northern Range districts and villages, sometimes following leads provided by well-meaning news bringers.

Sorties were mounted to some of the remotest and severely inhospitable parts of the country.

We even made a visit to the then Commissioner of Police, Mr Burroughs at his official residence at the St James Barracks. There, we presented certain information at his official residence at the St James Barracks. There, we presented certain information and discussed certain bits of news and what we considered relevant information, as was available. Nothing came of that. During the first few weeks, an endless procession of police officers visited the family’s Rose Street home to ask questions and hear fresh bits of news. Nothing materialised.

I myself called the San Juan Police Station with information that Juliet might be in the Jogie Road, San Juan area. I went to the San Juan Police Station and transported a sergeant and two constables in my vehicle to certain areas along the said Jogie Road, but discovered nothing relevant to Juliet’s situation.

Lest we forget, the scourge of kidnapping and abduction has escalated into an everyday habit and occurrence, the perpetrators gaining confidence and boldness with every snatch! It seems that no one is safe anywhere in the country!

If twenty years ago, the authorities were stumped for clues and direction in Tam’s and little schoolgirl Omar’s cases (remember that snatch in the Brazil area?) because of lack of specialised know-how and technology and sophisticated communications, how is it that today, with the technology and the Anti-Kidnapping Squad in place and at our service, there seems to be a spate of this particular crime almost on a daily basis!

MICHAEL CORYAT

Cascade