To spare other families the anguish they went through over the past five months, relatives of slain Anita Ramsaran are calling for an upgrade in forensic technology in the country. "No one knows how we survived for the past five months waiting for the DNA testing to know..." said a close male relative as family and friends bade a final farewell. Staring at the burning pyre yesterday at the Shore of Peace in La Romaine, he said: "We have to upgrade the DNA system. Families grieving for too long. DNA testing must be swift and fast. Only the family knows what they're going through, it is unbearable." Twenty-five-year-old Ramsaran's body was burnt beyond recognition on a heap of tyres and wood at a canefield in Chaguanas.
She was last seen by her mother Rajmantee Sookram leaving her workplace, a food outlet owned by her family at Penal, on March 7. Police information was that she went to Chaguanas and was on her way to an apartment she shared with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend told police she never got there. Two days later, her charred remains were found. DNA samples were taken from her parents for testing but it was only on Wednesday they received the results. The relative, who asked to remain anonymous, also called for swift justice. "I will not rest until we get justice. I hope we get it soon," he added.
To her killers, he said: "I want to tell them that they could run but they can't hide. We going to get them. You know who you are." The relative also called on the media to put a system in place where the photos of missing people are displayed daily in the newspapers and on television. "We have to keep refreshing people's memory because things have a way of fading away," he added. A photo of Ramsaran was placed on top of the casket. Pundits Denash and Varun Maharaj officiated.
