| September 5,
2007: According to the Caribbean Media Corporation
(CMC), an ailing Sir John Compton was was returned to St
Lucia by air ambulance Wednesday and taken away to a private
hospital where he remained on a life support system. He had
spent three days at a hospital in Martinique and was
discharged after doctors concluded they had provided all
possible medical assistance without seeing improvement in
his condition. He was originally hospitalized in May 2007,
less than 6 months after being re-elected as Prime Minister
of the country. He had suffered a series of strokes and had
been out of office since then. Upon the return of Sir
Compton from Martinique, acting St. Lucia Prime Minister
Stephenson King stated, “One can now conclude that the fact
that the medical practitioners in Martinique have indicated
that they have given him all possible assistance, his return
home is basically to manage him until he succumbs,”
According to CMC "King chided sections of the
local media for reporting the Prime Minister’s passing
during the last 24 hours, to the extent of giving the
impression that this was official information.
He described this as a lack of consciousness and respect for
the rights of the family and to the nation itself.
“Individuals engaged in the media reporting should attempt
to await official word rather than speculate on such an
important matter,” he said. "
Such a report was circulated by Hardbeatnews, an
online news service out of New York who erroneously
reported the passing of St. Lucia's prime Minister on Wed
September 5th 2007. It was disseminated via email and
published online under the heading "BREAKING NEWS -
St. Lucia's Sir John Dead At 82". The summary read as
follows:
"Hardbeatnews, CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Weds. Sept. 5,
2007: Prime Minister of St Lucia, Sir John Compton, late
yesterday passed away in the La Menard Hospital in
Martinique after spending more than two days on life
support, reports reaching HBN said. He was 82..." |
