Relatives angered by federal Air India offer

Vancouver: Relatives of the victims of the Air India tragedy say they are hurt and insulted by a federal government offer to pay $24,000 for each person killed in the June 1985 terrorist attack.
The offer of a one-time ex gratia payment was made at a meeting in Toronto Thursday attended in person and via teleconference by about 40 family members of the 329 bombing victims. Most of the families settled their legal claims for compensation in the early 1990s, according to a government spokesman.
An ex gratia payment is given where no legal obligation exists.
"We are just seething," said Anil Singh Hanse, an Australian whose father Narendra piloted the flight that was brought down by a B.C.made bomb. "This is insulting. Where the hell did they pull this figure from?"
Retired judge John Major suggested some form of payment be made to families in his Air India inquiry report in June 2010, although he made no official recommendation. The $32-million inquiry showed that numerous warning signs of the pending terrorist attack were missed by Canada's security agency and that missteps hampered the subsequent RCMP investigation.
Major also said the families were treated with "administrative disdain" for years by the Canadian government and deserved more than just an apology.
09/07/11 Kim Bolan/Post Media News/The Gazette

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Categories: Air India Jul 2011, Foreign Jul 2011, Safety Jul 2011