Aid worker found 'stoned to death' in Dharamsala (Earth, church)

[michel]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...1119_2,00.html
Britain

The Times December 07, 2006

Aid worker found 'stoned to death' at Indian refuge for Buddhist exiles
Simon de Bruxelles, Jeremy Page in Delhi


A young British aid worker has been found murdered, apparently stoned to death, at the remote town in northern India that is the home of the Dalai Lama.
The body of Michael Blakey, 23, was discovered partly concealed beneath a pile of rocks close to a small church on the outskirts of Dharamsala, a popular destination for back-packers.

Mr Blakey, from Burnley, had been living there since June, working for the Edinburgh-based Tong-Len Charitable Trust, a charity helping migrant workers in the shanty communities. Friends said that he had fallen in love with the country and its people after spending time there during his gap year.

Indian police said that there was no obvious motive for the attack although his mobile phone and wallet were missing. They said that they had not made any arrests and were investigating several leads into the murder, which happened on November 25 or the day after, just before Mr Blakey was due to fly home for Christmas.
They confirmed that they had interviewed the Indian husband of one of Mr Blakey’s colleagues at the trust.

Dharamsala, a town of about 20,000 people in the foothills of the Himalayas, where the Dalai Lama has lived in exile since 1960, has long been regarded as a haven from the heat and chaos of India. It is a popular destination for back-packers, Buddhist scholars and charity workers, who have been taking refuge there since the days of the Raj. There has, however, been a recent rise in the number of violent attacks on foreigners............................contd on above link.

[ayani]

oh, the poor man.... and his community. have people no hearts? why would *anyone* murder a person even for such a lame reason?

[michel]

Originally Posted by gracie

oh, the poor man.... and his community. have people no hearts? why would *anyone* murder a person even for such a lame reason?

Really Gut-wrenchingly sad, isn't it ?

[ayani]

and so *bizarre*. who the h*ll would do such a thing? what on earth would promt a person to do something so horrible and senseless? to an aid worker who was like one of the locals? what is*wrong* with people?