In the newspaper it stated Daljit Sandhu weighed about 185 pounds. Is that soaking wet? No metric after all that money the government spent? What a waste.

Curious...why were they charged in Fort St.James as opposed to Vanderhoof? Was that the original destination perhaps?

I guess all reports that the police were such bad guys and the young guys were such great and straight citizens was not quite how it was
after all....Doz

How could any of you go on and say such horrific cold-hearted things about a human life? This is a young man who is missing; his friends and family are in such pain that it is indescribable. I wonder how some people could be so selfish where they would worry about tax dollars over a human life. Daljit was a good, smart student who was attending Simon Fraser University this semester. The media does illustrate how he was a hard-working student, with no criminal record, who was loved by many. Who are you to judge anyone, especially if you do not know all the facts? Majority of the things the media is reporting are fabricated. The media makes news to SELL stories, it’s just a business out there to make money like anything else. They are focusing on negitive things because that is what sells. You maybe naive enough to believe everything, but his family members and loved ones refuse to give into the reports given by these untrained reporters. If they can’t even get Daljit’s age right, which is 19, do you honestly think everything else they are reporting is accurate? This is not like Daljit to go missing or be apart of something like this. My main point is you cannot put a price one someone’s life. Daljit is a brother, a son, a cousin, a nephew, and a good friend to many, how could anyone utter such heart-less remarks? If anything you should be mature enough to know that a family is devastated right now and show your support so he can be found.

"No metric after all that money the government spent? What a waste."

Mandyd5, you are unaware that Harbinger is referring to the Federal Government's billion dollar metrification initiative, to convert Canada to metric measurement.

Obviously, when a person's weight is stated in pounds (the old Imperial system) it shows that metrification has not been very successful.

This means that hundreds of millions of our tax dollars have been wasted.

Now, Mandyd5, do the right thing and apologize for your diatribe.

perhaps u missed the comment by dozer. it's comments like that that are setting us off! along with people that have been commenting on this story in the other articles! u guys may not know daljit but we obviously do. just because you guys read about a few facts you jump to conclusions, you don't know what the family is going through, you don't know the pain and torture people are going though, you don't know this young man! i'm pretty sure if this hit home and it was somebody close to you, you would also be media bashing and defending your loved one. YOU GUYS HAVE NEVER MET HIM, DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM! it's not the same when your an outsider just trying to analyze what it is you're reading. you have to remember that he is a human being and deserves respect. nobody knows the truth right now except for him, so i don't think people have the right to make any assumptions, especially since he's still missing! the main concern should be dal's safety.

First and Foremost lets hope for the well being of the missing young man. Secondly, let's let the police and court system find out the involvement, if any, of all involved. Thirdly, throwing 'attacks' at each other or the media, is not solving anything on this sensitive situation... over and out.

I feel sorry for his family & friends and I feel for them,they have my sympathy.I also have a family, one of which is a drug addict & a total mess. She got started 20 years ago by smokeing pot.She graduated to hard drugs and you have no Idea how much pain and agony she has brought on herself & family, therefor I feel that the boy should have thought about what he was doing before he left the coast & before he ran from the police and I do hope they find him alive....Doz

One other thing I am sure the police do not fabricat fcts ect to sell stories....DOZ

Just speculating here: Aren't the independant soldiers a primarily Indo Canadian Gang out of the lower mainland currently trying to spread their influence up through the northern interior?

Reminder:

There are two people facing charges, they have not been convicted. We cannot say anything other than there are "allegations" or charges. Mr. Sandhu had not been found therefor he has not been charged. One cannot suggest he is guilty of anything. So far, we have been pleased in the manner comments are being submitted. Please just remember to stay within the legal boundaries.

-Elaine Macdonald.

Metric aside, it should be interesting when all this pans out. Hey! If it's in the paper, it must be true. Right?

Just ask any teenager how tall they are. Betcha they won't say it in centimetres.

A couple things.

"Just ask any teenager how tall they are. Betcha they won't say it in centimetres."
Ask a teenager how fast they were driving, betcha they say it in KM's. The real problem is the the older generations inability/unwillingness to learn or adapt that is keeping this archaic system around.

"Just speculating here: Aren't the independant soldiers a primarily Indo Canadian Gang out of the lower mainland currently trying to spread their influence up through the northern interior?"

Interestingly over at the pgcitizen website under the "Youth Missing" article a person who claims to be his sister made an interesting "soldier" comment at the very end. It is the first comment in this article:

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php?ocan i type properly on theiption=com_content&task=view&id=73716&Itemid=159

Link above error.

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73716&Itemid=159

"Just speculating here: Aren't the independant soldiers a primarily Indo Canadian Gang out of the lower mainland currently trying to spread their influence up through the northern interior? "

and just what the hell is that supposed to mean? dal is not a "gangster", he's not involved with these independent soldiers that you're speculating about. and yea it is interesting that jasmine would call her brother a soldier cuz that's what he is! he's a strong-willed smart boy. please think before you type something. "a person who claims to be his sister" SHE IS HIS SISTER, WHAT'S WITH THIS CLAIMING BUSINESS? kind of like the other guy trying to claim dal's association with a gang. you guys don't know anything so stop trying to analyze and solve this as it's just another mystery.

and thank you for those who are actually concerned about daljit and are praying for his safety.

seep26:"perhaps u missed the comment by dozer."

No, I didn't. I too have a friend whose teenage daughter was introduced to pot and later to hard drugs. It almost ruined the whole family's life. When I saw her at a government office five years after she became an addict I recognized her only when she was asked to state her name.

Sadly, drugs are a very bad scene.

Therefore, I fully agree with Dozer's comments.

yea i'm sure the police doesn't fabricate their stories right? how come some officers claim this to have been a result of a police chase while the others say there was no pursuit? how come they refuse to work on a sunday? how come they stand back and watch the family search and search and when the family digs up the vehicle the police feels the need to "take it from there" how come the guy with dal first says dal was driving and then claims it was him as the driver? how can prit get out of this murky and "dangerous" river and a team of well-trained individuals with gear cannot go in? they do NOT care. to them dal is just another "indo-canadian gangster" which is not the case! why are these other guys not talked about? when they DO have criminal records and are known to the police? DAL has a good job, he just started SFU with me and DOES NOT have a criminal record, i've known him for about 4 years now and i know he would never feel the need to get involved with these type of people. he's just another statistic to the police now. but to us he's so much more. there are too many un-answered questions and i don't think it's fair for ppl to jump to conclusions that do not know him. it really does hurt us..and since he's missing and not here to defend himself then by all means the people that love him will.

In my opinion,what we do know so far is fairly straight forward.
Two people from the lower mainland in an SUV failed to stop at a road block and somehow managed to drive into the Nechako River in Vanderhoof.
One was person was found and one was last seen floating down the river.
When the vehicle was recovered,apparently a large quantity of pot seedlings were found in the vehicle.
One person is still missing.
That is what I get from the media so far along with a bit of innuendo and speculation.
What that tells me is it is quite likely something illegal WAS taking place, and it is also likely the two people in the vehicle were aware of that.
People can be forgiven for thinking the worst of the situation.
Whether or not the ones involved were good people is not the issue here.
I am not interested in that, and it is totally beside the point.
Only the courts can decide the guilt or innocence of the people concerned.
The courts will decide who is right and who is wrong and hopefully,we will be informed of the correct version of events.
And for the spouting off the family and some others are doing?
I can only hope for their sake, those involved are innocent, or somebody is going to look very silly here!
I also hope the young man is found alive as I suspect he will be.
But that is just my opinion.

I rarely offer my thoughts anymore but this crap show is just too tempting. The last time I checked, when you flee the law, you are up to no good. I hope they find the guy ok so he can face some charges and then the whole truth can be revealed. When that happens I would like buddies supporters to come back on here and admit they were wrong and apologize for acting like such nerds. Just my opinion though.

FIRST OF ALL OUR COUSIN IS NOT A GANGSTER. He is a real sweet person and loved by everyone that KNEW HIM. For all those people trying to make their own conclusions about this situation, STOP BECAUSE YOU DONT KNOW THE STORY and more importantly YOU DONT KNOW DALJIT. He is the main concern for his family and friends. A person is innocent till proven guilty. So u people have no right to call our cousin a drug addict when YOU DONT KNOW HIM!!!!!!! What if, imorg, we started making conclusions about your family that you knew not to be true. How would you feel????? Take a minute to think and think real well!!! and DOzer you cannot believe everything the cops or media say because again like Seep26 was saying they will write the things that sell their news. police are never going to say something bad about themselves to the public. they protect their reputation and and wont admit to the mistakes they make. THE MAIN FOCUS RIGHT NOW IS DALJIT SANDHU!!!!!!! HE is a person and his life is what should come first. He deserves respect!!!!! just because he is a young "indo-canadian" male does NOT MAKE HIM A PART OF THE INDEPENDANT SOLDIERS OR WHATEVER IT IS THEY ARE CALLED!!!!!!!!! Nobody has the right to judge him, only God can judge him. You people that are "trying" to come to a conclusion from what u hear from the media, STOP, because everything they say is not true. Only when it is about your own people in the media then will you realize that they do lie for the money.

MOST IMPORTANTLY what we want to say is that Daljit we love you and we miss you so so so so so much. We pray for your safe return. We know that you are a wonderful person and dont worry about those weirdos out there who make assumptions about you. We love you and we are waiting for you.

xoxoxox
{erin, jas, beaney, karen}

You took the words right out of my mouth Andy. I would like to add however...what is a smart, stong willed (boy), university student doing in a vehicle with other boys who are known to police and the car is full of drugs? People do make wrong choices and no it doesn't necessarily mean they are all bad, but sometimes those choices destroy lives. It is however unfortunate that there could be loss of life because of it. Nobody is wishing anyone dead here. And I do hope for the family's sake that they find him alive. The truth will come out in the end.

Apparently the family and friends of Daljit don't know what the meaning of speculation is. Everyone is allowed to speculate...if the facts that come out support it or not then so be it.

And, Spanky is correct. You don't run from the police unless something you are doing is not kosher. In say that: now IF the driver was fully aware of what he was involved in then he is a party to the offense of trafficking. The victims of drug abuse are the users but I have no sympathy for the people who supply it to them.

I hope too that this young man is found. I feel for his family. I agree with snappi, in that people do make wrong choices - even good people.

But I also think that it is natural for people to speculate. I am curious as to what this young man's family and friends, who say they know him so well, thinks he was up to?

Boy hot potato this one for the friends of the guys in the SUV next to all that pot. All that love and those guys went into the river in a vehicle full of pot.

How about shedding a tear for all that wasted pot? Man that would have bought a lot of friends. I wonder how many friends all that pot would buy? I'd love to meet a guy that had all that pot. I bet he would be real friendly and maybe buy me stuff. I bet I would look good cruising around with him, dressed out with a nice gold bracelet on my wrist and stuff like that. I bet we would be treated like kings in any bar or shethole we went into.

Oh well, all that pot is wasted now. Kind of makes you disgusted with those three young men, oh and they don't have my respect or admiration at all. I hope they are found guilty and go to jail for at least 15 minutes.

I agree with you completely Imorg.
The victims ARE the users in the drug industry.
The suppliers are nothing more than parasites.

wow all of you are such amazing good-hearted people, i wonder have you ever driven your car and were speeding? have you ever had a drink then drove? have you ever broke the law? and if you say yes does that mean your a horrible person?
you all speculate and yes some of us know what the word means, BUT DO YOU PEOPLE realize that when we say your words hurt because your missing the point that Daljit Sandhu is not a criminal, and not a bad person. HE is an amazing person, who may have been at the wrong place.
If you knew that Dal had not been in the SUV until it pulled into the tim hortens, and was in the benz car which they found with nothin in it for the whole trip. And it was not a road check, they took a wrong turn out and the cops new they would because all visitors in the town take that wrong turn. So for about 5 mins Dal sat in that truck, AND IM PRETTY SURE MY FRIEND DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS IN IT, and no footage shows he was driving, they are taking the word of 2 individuals who would not cooperate witht hem but said Dal is driving. That is conveinent, blame the one who can't speak and defend himself.

Its time to stop with the negative, and focus on the positive, dal to his sister is a soldier, because he is very strong, very smart, and very loving. He is there for her, and he is there for us all. If any of you knew Daljit you would be very lucky. Dal is a soldier for us all, and we as his friends and family will never stop protecting him and his image and will always be there praying for him to return safely home to us all.

Will always love ya dal...

and on a side note dal is not apart of a gang, and is not a gang banger...

i think most of your are iggnorant hicks from small towns

zk... your astounding ignorance got me angry enough to join this discussion. I know Dal's sister, and I hope Dal is alive and safe, regardless of the consequences.

That said - the vehicle was an SUV. You claim that you are pretty sure Dal didn't know what was in the SUV. There were dozens upon dozens of pot plants in the truck. It's a plant with a pungent air, and SUVs have no separators in them like, say, a cube van or a truck / truck bed setup. That means that Dal absolutely knew what was in the truck, and would have known the moment he got in it. I can smell a joint from down the street, he absolutely knew what was in that SUV, if not by smell, then by dozens of other factors like the number of plants, the smell of soil, or what the other passengers were saying.

The fact that Dal wasn't in the vehicle originally means nothing. If Dal was an upstanding citizen, he would have, at the very least, got out of the truck and had nothing to do with the illegal activities the moment he noticed the plants. You fully admit that Dal did get into the SUV. I'm interested because you seem to know specifics about these events and you are contradicting the police. I’ve read four articles about this, and none of them mention a Tim Hortons or Dal not being in the SUV at any point – got something to tell the police that they would like to know?

A wrong turn, versus a roadside check, is a huge difference. Why would the police pursue or be involved in any way if it was a wrong turn? Answer that.

I have no idea what you mean or what the point is by saying that Dal is a soldier for his sister. That means absolutely nothing. He might be a great individual to his family; the events that have occurred also reveal him to almost certainly be involved in criminal activities, however minor his offense. People can be both, but kindness to one's family is no defense if he has been involved in crimes. For his sake, and the sake of everyone who loves him, I hope he was not involved. And if he was, may it be a minor crime and may he never be so foolish again.

Again, I do very much hope that Dal is alive. But I refuse to put up with your BS by defending him, while completely contradicting your own claims made in his defense.

By the way, you have spelled "iggnorant" incorrectly. The correct spelling is “ignorant”. Irony of ironies.

maybe because we saw the video feed from tim hortens that showed the time that they were there, and the cops said they pulled him over right after they left tim hortens, and the other 2 people said thats when Dal switched cars.

and im sorry i spelt ignorant wrong haha maybe its quick typing, maybe its the anger over the BS im reading, but hey i think your an asshole, i did spell asshole right?

you dont know dal and you dont know what he was doing there. And the police had stopped the vehicle approached it they would have smelt the pot too, i guess the smell wasn't strong enough or the cops didnt do their job.

the soldier comment was to the fool who is linking him to gangs. Dal is a warrior, hes strong and hes gonna be back, that doesn't mean he fought in the gladiator times either. i guess your ignorant


maybe you all dont have the facts, maybe this ghetto ass paper from the interior doesn't really do real reporting, so maybe you should be quiet.

a last thing your great papers and articles listed Dal as 18, and hes 19, maybe they should work on their reporting, and i will fix my spelling.

and maybe if you got the facts you would know that the police did admit it was a wrong turn not a road check, the rcmp have 7 different versions of what happened, thats the car sped off that the lights were off, that they chased them, that they didn't chase, the cops aren't Holy, hell the police deparments accross Canada and America have committed countless crimes and erros, and these are great democratic countries, so yeah we don't believe the police.
Yes there were drugs in the car, but the problem is the poor support the police have been giving in the search for Dal.

I think it's unfortunate this terrible accident had to happen, but I have to question why Daljit's friends and family are on here attacking everyone. I really DO understand their need to defend him, however, they have to realize that there is a better way of doing this. Attacking someone else's opinions is not acceptable. As citizens of BC (and Canada as a whole), we all have a right to express our opinons about this accident. You choose to read them. We all have the same amount of information as you do - information that was provided to Opinion 250 by the RCMP. I have a feeling that those sticking up for Daljit are simply teenagers (no older than 20 at most), so perhaps that's another reason they don't know how to calmly present their concerns about the disappearance of their cousin/friend. Rest assure that we're NOT here to destroy Daljit's character.

I personally have to agree with the reader that said there is a demand for drugs in the Interior. Would I doubt that these boys were going there to sell drugs? No - because why else would they have the drugs in their possession? Surely you can't say they were simply holding them for someone else or that the drugs were their own personal stash.

As for the boy not co-operating with the police (the one pulled from the river), I think he is a complete idiot. One would think that he would have the decency to help expand the search for his friend (Daljit), but he is more concerned about protecting himself. I applaud the RCMP for placing drug charges on him. While I wouldn't doubt that the RCMP aren't doing enough in this case (as they often don't), I do think the volunteers are trying their best. Daljit's family has thanked them - as they should. These people don't owe it to anyone to risk their lives to search for someone in a river. They're just be upstanding citizens. What brave people they are.

Yes, I do not know Daljit, but I have to wonder why he sped off. If you have nothing to hide, you'd cooperate during a ROUTINE police check. While it saddens me that he drove off such a horrible road (with no proper signage to indicate the upcoming river!), he did have a choice in all this. No one forced him to hit the gas and drive off.

What those posting in Daljit's defense need to understand is that sometimes you don't know a person as well as you think you do. Sure you're his family/friends, but you'd be surprised at what you may not know. I'm sure no matter how close you were, Daljit DIDN'T indulge every detail of his life with you. Many young men feel the need to "get rich fast" or they simply get a thrill of being involved in the underground drug world, but they're not clever enough to realize that not only are they putting their only lives at stake, but they're also hurting the people closest to them. Was Daljit a drug dealer? We can't say yes because that's an assumption. Was he involved in drugs - yes, because he had marijuana plants/seeds in his possession. Even IF they belonged to his passenger or to the two men in the other vehicle, he surely knew about them. It's ignorant to think otherwise.

Also from my understanding Daljit was to begin his first university semester this summer. While I'm sure he's a great individual (caring, hardworking with a decent job, loved by his family etc), don't tell us he COULDN'T have been involved in any criminal activity because he "went to school, worked hard, and never had a criminal record." Good people can't do any wrong?? He became a criminal the moment he sped off in that car.

I'd like to end by saying that I pray for his safety and for his family. And please don't attack my comments - these are MY opinions. If anything, I think I know what I'm talking about. I am East-Indian and I've seen so many misguided people end up in trouble. They're not bad people, but rather they haven't matured enough to know any better.

"..Rest assure that we're NOT here to destroy Daljit's character..." What character?

So some you would never expect is involved with drugs, life's just full of surprises. Those swinging into full denial mode are the the idiots and assholes. Those are just the kind of hopeless people druggy's like for friends.

I am seeing allot of anger here and I also didn't like the ignorant (which is how it is spelled) commment. I do think that maybe ignorance is bliss and maybe thats what's happening to the Daljit friends of Daljit. I think that if name calling is necessary that maybe it should be placed on the right person, and yes the spelling of asshole is correct.

Hey note to Daljits friends?family. WAKE UP and smell the B.C. bud! This guy was no angel and the fact that you are still so blindly and willingly sticking up for him makes you guys sound like total idiots. Face the facts, ran from the cops (illegal), had a truck full of marijuana (illegal). End of story. You keep saying no one knows Daljit. I say who cares, I have seen thousands of guys like him who act all prim and proper around their elders. As soon as they are on their own they fight, threaten others, sell drugs, carry weapons. Hey just remember what you see isn't always what you get. In my opinion the life as a gangster caught up with Daljit before he really got a chance to get a taste of what life is all about and that is the sad part. Fighting won't find him or bring him back if he is gone.

I think most people on here have tried to at least be reasonably polite in regards to this situation.
It is the family and friends that chooses to be rude and ignorant.(did I spell that right?)
It is really starting to annoy me.
So let's just get to the point shall we?
It appears that these 2 winners were hauling dope.That goes a long way to making them unpopular idiots with the general public.
Coming to their defense and trying to make them out to be innocent and great guy's is just plain stupid.
People don't like drug dealers of any kind, and the fact that there was an SUV full of dope makes them in all likely hood,dealers.
What would the other explanations be?
We are waiting for THAT explanation.
Rest assured we will be reminding these people of this little gem if they are in fact found guilty.
Which I believe they will.
But then,we are just ignorant hicks from a small town aren't we?,so what would we know?

It's hard when someone you know passes away or has gone missing and not sure if they are alive or dead to remain calm and polite. I think the family and friends should read the articles but not the comments until they find Dal. The added stress must be killing them and I really feel for them. Time will heal and once the question "Why?" has been answered then maybe the healing can start. Who knows maybe he felt pressured to go along and at that age its easy to feel pressure. Who knows? We just need to let the comments roll off our shoulders and understand that the family and friends are in agonizing pain so not to take things personally. I'm slowly learning that still.

This zk fellow is the one who has the 7 different versions. Perhaps he should speak to the police and tell them how to do their investigation? He seems to know an awful lot about the activities of the suspects!
And 170 pot plants in one SUV? I doubt they were whole plants, but most likely clones from a mother plant each set in little containers which are then themselves planted into larger pots such as the location the suv was destined to arrive at. So it appaers these boys were in the process of setting up shop when they panicked at the realization they were going to be caught.

check out seep's comments on may 16:

(the family digs up the vehicle the police feels the need to "take it from there")

If one guy got to the riverbank and the other was seen on top of the roof before the vehicle floated downstream, then why would the family work so hard to recover the vehicle if for all it's worth, the subject was no longer in the vicinity?

Could it be that that the friends etc. knew what the cargo was and were attempting to get rid of some evidence????

Of course all this is speculation.....

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on May 17 2007 7:18 AM
"..Rest assure that we're NOT here to destroy Daljit's character..." What character?

So some you would never expect is involved with drugs, life's just full of surprises. Those swinging into full denial mode are the the idiots and assholes. Those are just the kind of hopeless people druggy's like for friends.


**I don't even know the individual (Daljit), so don't tell me that I'm in "full denial" about this accident. All I know is that we're entitled to our opinions, but we don't have the right to tear the character of this young man into shreds, especially when his family is going through something so horrific. We only have so much information we can go on. I'm sure he was a decent young man, but his stupidity led him to all this. That is a fact. Nevertheless, who are to judge and rip him apart? Let God do that. State your opinions, but do it with some respect. YOU need to grow up.

LMORG:

That's an idea - that the family was trying to get rid of the evidence. However I think they were simply trying to recover his body. Young men like all these boys involved are very clever at fooling their family about their involvement with drugs and violence. I wouldn't doubt that it was the same case here. The family probably had no idea what was about to surface. I hope they remain strong during all this.

Relatives/friends of Daljit: Do not attack and name call people just because you do not like their opinions. It is everyone's right to voice an opinion especially when the opinions they're voicing are logical based on what we so far know.

I find that, generally, people treat unsavory characters a lot less better than they would treat upstanding citizens. It doesn't matter what the color of your skin is (and I belong to a minority group). The fact that the RCMP found many many marijuana plants (and I say fact because is it more logical to assume that the RCMP planted that evidence? for what purpose? Are they big time crooks? Discovering those plants was just serendipity.) strongly implies that the individuals in the SUV were involved in criminal activity. It doesn't matter if you're white or brown or whatever, if you're found with that much stash of marijuana, you are "involved in criminal activity."

I, and I assume many others, are not interested in arguments like "my brother/counsin/friend/etc. is a good person, blah blah, he can't possibly be involved in something like this." Being good doesn't mean that you cannot do anything bad. I have a nephew who was into drugs but no one ever heard me defending him by saying, "he's a good person" because that was beside the point. The issue was, similar to the issue here, that my nephew was using drugs (and in your case, that Daljit was transporting marijuana) and therefore, my nephew (and Daljit) was committing an illegal act.

I don't care if he's going to SFU or to Cornell or Harvard or Oxford. What does which school you go to have to do with being caught with marijuana? Boy, you'd think that people like us, who come from hick towns, would be so impressed that someone is going to SFU that we wouldn't ever think that that SFU-going person is involved in illegal activity when he was driving an SUV loaded with marijuana.

Hmmm, by that argument we should also say that Campbell (because he's, Wow, the BC Premier) couldn't possibly be guilty of drunk driving; Prince Charles (Wow, Prince of Wales) couldn't possibly be committing adultery when he was seeing Camilla; Louis Rogge (because he's a Catholic priest and must therefore be good) couldn't possibly be guilty of child molestation even though he was convicted by the court. I could go on and on. But, do you, friends/relatives of Daljit, finally see that racking up a person's past good conduct history is not relevant to the issue? By the argument, nor is attacking everyone here based on the premise that we don't know Daljit personally?

Period.

i think everyone should read the comment by cestlavie. THAT'S exactly how we feel and are trying to get across. and lmorg the question as to why they would still look for the car? WHY NOT? just beacause somebody says he was seen on the roof of the car doesn't mean it's true to us any more. he was also seen hanging onto bushes. he was also left in the vehicle by the other guy. so of course when we don't have the truth from ANYBODY we don't know to look on land or in the river. in this situation we have to look everywhere..and thanks for being there to speculate through our suffering.

When it comes to crap like this, I have what they call, "sympathy fatigue". Got a cure fer that? This dreaded situation is brought on by more than 71,000 registered charities, terrorists around the world (pick a country), over taxation at every level of government, no justice system to speak of , and on and on and on. And just about everyone with their hands in my pockets trying to empty them. I know where sympathy lies in the dictionary. I will wait to hear that so and so fell into the wrong crowd of people. And my favorite is , "He was just getting his life together when this tragedy happened.

Hey cestlavie your words: "Nevertheless, who are to judge and rip him apart? Let God do that. State your opinions, but do it with some respect. YOU need to grow up."

It appears that a higher power has already judged and convicted one person.

Maybe it is just my suspicious nature, but I do find it a bit weird that the "family" were so intent on recovering the vehicle when they knew this guy wasn't in it?
Does that strike anyone else as odd?

Wow it just saddens me how disrespectful and cold hearted people are these days...Its funny how everyone reads and article and is off the bat to jugde. The main concern shouldnt be wiether Dal was a criminal or not it should be of People trying to find Dal and pray for his safe return to his family...I pray to god nothing like this happens to anybody..and when Dal is found...maybe u guys should give your opinion out then but for now you guys are just building up more hurt and pain on a community of friends family and even people that barely knew him that love Dal very much and pray every second of their day that Dal will return home.

"disrespectful and cold hearted"??
Gee Tina,it would seem to me that the "family of this "Dal" has been very disrepectful to a number of posters on here.
If you can't see that, and do not find something very odd about this whole scenario,you ain't reading very well!
People have a right to their own opinions just as the "family" does.
I am still trying to figure out why it is suddenly all about the caliber of the missing person, and not about what was actually IN the vehicle,where it was going etc.
What was reported to be in the vehicle will determine the character of the people involved, wouldn't you think?

I hope Daljit got out and survived because despite all these 170 marijuana fiasco, it's still better to live - at least you have a chance to make right anything that may be wrong.

Can't help but speculate though about how this will turn out.

If Daljit is alive and he is innocent, I bet he will turn up and he and his family will voluntarily go to the RCMP and to court to clear his name.

If Daljit is alive but he is involved in the trafficking/possession/production of marijuana:

(1) he may turn up if he possesses enough integrity to own up to his mistakes and face the legal consequences and whatever shame his actions brought/will bring upon him and his family;

(2) he may not turn up. He may or may not contact his family but he will surely find a way to vanish quietly (most probably to the US). He would probably contact his family as he would need help to arrange his "vanishing." Would his family turn him in if he contacts them? Depends on which one is more important to them - justice or family.

If the cops are on the ball, they have already got a warrant out for daljit sandhu so he won't be getting across any border too easily.

I honeslty dont understand what you all are trying to defend..

"Maybe it is just my suspicious nature, but I do find it a bit weird that the "family" were so intent on recovering the vehicle when they knew this guy wasn't in it?
Does that strike anyone else as odd?"

comments like this are why the world has so many wrongs against it ..can a family not go into the water to find out if there love one is in there?. .just because drugs are involved.. dos that mean this person did not have a heart…From what I can read is that most of you all are more concerned on how much pot was in the car or yelling at the people defending their loved ones than the well being of a young man. I know how a few people commented on how drugs took a life of someone close to them and it changed them…at least u know the person is still there and u Can do something to help them or change them while u still can…the family has no clue where Dal is or not even knowing that he is safe. All these comment are doing is kicking someone when their already down ... u guys mite as well go up to somebody whose in the hospital for lung failure and comment on how ”Its his fault because he smoked” .. or going up to a soilder who has gone to Iraq to fight and be like “it’s your fault for even going if anything happens to u” regardless of what situation you’re in nobodies pain should be even more conflicted on. I am certain I am far younger than most of you are and I could judge all of you by some harsh comments you have given to the family and friends but I know within each character theirs a different story to who they are and how they got that way..just because you guys posted a few bad comment does not make you a bad person ..so instead of bad mouthing everyone I think everyone should just pray that he returns home.

Hope Daljit don't owe any dough to anyone. There are some right nasty people out there if you owe them money.

People believe different things and have different opinions. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But, when Dal's family and friends who helplessly wait for news on him come online and see people trashing him, do you think it doesn't hurt us? We know Dal as a person, you have heard of Dal as a news story.

All we want is him to come home, safe and sound. And for him to be judged should be left to the courts. Dal is 19, I’m sure a lot of people have made their mistakes in the past. We don't condone drug dealing. But remember Dal is not here to share his story, he his not here to defend himself, no one knows fully what has happened. Everyone’s done something that they're not proud of, maybe worse than this maybe not. But this one incident doesn't define his life or who he is. The only reason we are telling you that he is a SFU student or he’s a longshore man or that he’s a good friend to everyone is so you understand where we are coming from. So you understand what kind of person we know Dal to be.

It doesn’t help attacking the people who defend Dal, it doesn’t help by trying to over analyze the things that the media has reported. All the facts are not out in the public nor are they really known yet. One small thing can change this entire case around. So as human beings, who all make mistakes, before you judge who Daljit Sandhu let him come home to tell his side of the story. It’s unfortunate that people are assuming things. Yes, there were marijuana plants in the truck, we have not forgotten that, BUT right now the only thing on our mind is Dal, and that he comes home safely. His family and friends are going insane without knowing his whereabouts and what type of situation he may be in.

We all miss you like crazy and want you back home safely Dal… Love you.

Mandy5:
I think you can't say that anyone here is not hoping/wishing that Daljit be found.

Yes, I know it hurts when you see/hear a loved one being criticized but there's nothing you can do about it. That's life. This Vanderhoof news is not just news anymore. It is a criminal case in progress which, all the more, will interest people in discussing all sides of the issue as soon as they come out in the media. You can no more stop it than Bush can stop his Iraq war detractors.

No one here "attacked" your group (by "Your group" I mean the relatives and friends of Daljit who have been posting here) not until your group started calling everyone hicks and referring to this paper as a ghetto ass paper (you should wash the mouth of zk with soap and water and enroll him in a preparatory school to learn proper manners). And for what? Because people said Daljit was involved in illegal activity? That is not an attack. That is an inference which cannot be disputed since there was marijuana stash in the SUV. Your group owes the people here an apology. Grief does not entitle your group to treat others with crudeness. And you should not expect people to treat your group with respect when you've shown them the opposite.

Compassion is easier shown to people who exhibit humility and not treat others with disdain and arrogance.

I had a family member who was assassinated (i.e., political) and believe me, we heard every side of every argument and criticism that can possibly be hurled against him. We did not counter attack nor go after his murderers on a personal vendetta. The true test of character arises when you are forced to deal with crisis with maturity, ethics, and wisdom.

Has anyone else gotten tired of hearing where he went to school and what he did for a living? And correct me if I'm wrong, but he only got accepted into SFU - he didn't even begin his first semester! Enough already. None of that information is relevant. Who cares if he goes to university - plenty of university students do wrong.

And I hope the girl who badmouthed the people of Vanderhoof is applauding herself now that a member of the community has decided AGAINST helping (this morning's post). Here was a man or woman willing to take their boat out to the river and search! Little girl, how are you going to explain that to Daljit's family? How are you going to tell them that your big mouth prevented someone else from helping find their brother/son?

I also have to question why so many of his friends are messaging to begin with. If it were my friend, I'd be in Vanderhoof searching from dawn to dusk! I wouldn't be on the Internet posting nasty replies to people who are simply voicing their LOGICAL opinions on this accident. I wouldn't have the energy to do so.

Someones background is a good indicator of what type of person they may be, that doesn't mean they don't make mistakes..Im sure every person thats posted on here isn't a god damn angel or perfect..But the fact that he's in school, is working on getting a degree and perhaps getting a career revolving around law, may show that he cares about his future..and he definitely was never desperate for money..if you guys know how much a longshore man makes, on top of that he has a family that supports him financially..and keep in mind hes 19..and never having a criminal record..these facts all show that he was on the right path and definitely has less of a chance of being involved with all of these things that you guys are accusing him of..again without all the facts and without him being able to defend himself.. im not saying he doesn't make mistakes..hes human, but we have no right to jump to conclusions.

It doesn't matter what happened right now..and all this speculating means nothing if he's still missing, does it?..he could be dead..then what would all this analyzing and attacking do..absolutely nothing, we dont know the facts, because we aren't Prit, or Aaron, or Dal, or any individual that was present at the time of the event, we were never there so how do we know..and I completely agree wit zk..the media is very much incorrect sometimes, you guys need to learn how to be media literate, like many people have stated DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ..I have read god knows how many articles about this story..and I can see that there are so many contraditions. So unless you have taken out the time to read every single article, and watch the news everything morning and night, to compare facts...dont post your opinion.

At the end of the day the only thing that really matters is that he comes home safe and sound...

Even if he made a mistake, even if he committed a crime, all of that doesn't matter right now, and I think that's what Dal's family and friends are trying to get across..so for all those individuals that keep posting your opinons,..until Dal doesnt return home and isnt charged with what he MAY have done.. keep your opinions to urself. I doubt Dals family and friends really give a shit right now.

I think everybody has gone in a million different directions with this.

The primary objective here is to do everything to recover the young man safely, or recover his remains. Hopefully he is recovered safely.

The secondary objective is everything else.
When he is recovered alive and well, he will have the opportunity to answer questions, and deal with the fallout of the incident.

If he is not found alive and well, nothing else will matter any more.

Has anyone else gotten tired of hearing where he went to school and what he did for a living? And correct me if I'm wrong, but he only got accepted into SFU - he didn't even begin his first semester! Enough already. None of that information is relevant. Who cares if he goes to university - plenty of university students do wrong.

And I hope the girl who badmouthed the people of Vanderhoof is applauding herself now that a member of the community has decided AGAINST helping (this morning's post). Here was a man or woman willing to take their boat out to the river and search! Little girl, how are you going to explain that to Daljit's family? How are you going to tell them that your big mouth prevented someone else from helping find their brother/son?

I also have to question why so many of his friends are messaging to begin with. If it were my friend, I'd be in Vanderhoof searching from dawn to dusk! I wouldn't be on the Internet posting nasty replies to people who are simply voicing their LOGICAL opinions on this accident. I wouldn't have the energy to do so.

And by the way cestlavie..Dal was just getting into his 3rd year of post secondary..and yes it was his was first semester at SFU, but he worked hard for 2 years to transfer from college to uni

theresanobleman...
I completely agree with you..nothing else matters right now..I don't think people understand that this is a human life we're talking about and attacking..someone that is loved by many..


cestlavie..I think your missing my point..and ill say it again..because you clearly don't understand or you just dont care enough to understand..you were going on about how its his first semester..I was pointing out that he's been in school 2 years previous to starting at SFU..and again his background and the support hes receiving from his friends and family show what type of a person he is..so I don't need to say anything else

Jasleen:
He was planning on having a career in law huh? Way to jumpstart that career by transporting marijuana. Yes we all make mistakes, but most of us don't run from the law. And what does how much a longshoreman make have to do with anything? Sounds like you're one of those youth only concerned with money as well. As for keeping our opinions to ourselves, that's NOT what opinions are meant for. We can freely state whatever we want. You don't HAVE to read our posts. In fact, maybe you should read the LAST part of my previous post...if you're his friend, help with the search instead of attacking people who are trying simply logically stating what is presented to them. It's true the media isn't always correct, but I'm sure you only recently started feeling this way. Like someone else said previously, ignorance is bliss and right now that's the case with many of his friends.

*correction: who are simply AND logically stating their opinions based on what is presented to them

It's no walk in the park for family and friends when they lose someone in any way. They were just spilling their hearts out in the way they knew how through a very emotional time and its up to all of us who are the outsiders looking in to have a greater and deeper understanding on how these poor friends and family members feel and know enough and be big enough to just let them vent. Maybe instead of handing out the sarcasm, rudeness, ignorance, blame, and hurtful jabs..... try handing out a kleenex. You might be surprised on what you get back in return.

heidi1555..thank you for understanding where we may be coming from..you don't know how much its appreciated..and again I doubt anyone honestly meant to offend anyone..again his family and friends (me included) may just be venting and retaliating to the hurtful and rude comments being thrown at Dal

cestlavie..if you think that Im just some youth that only cares for money..you've just proven yourself to be a judgemental ignorant insensitive idiot..its not about the money, its about a career, building a life, and having something to show for your hard work, education is what is being emphasized..and may I ask you..where the hell is your proof of him running from the law..please do tell me..because ive stayed up every day watching the news day and night as well as reading every article I could get my hands on..nowhere do they seem to have proof of him running from the law..EVEN if thats the case..IT DOESNT MATTER..that can be taken care of when he has returned home and is safe..as his friends we have a right to defend him when he can't..and when I know someone is wrong ..damn right Im going to defend him..dont doubt that for a second..as far as going there..there are god knows how many people up there already searching for him..there is only so much we can do

Jasleen keep in touch if you need to talk, i'm a good listener.
www.myspace.com/heidisstory
And I totally know how you feel belive me. Stay strong.

I should add to "And I totally know how you feel believe me" because I was put through the emotional ringer by some people is all.

y"ou've just proven yourself to be a judgemental ignorant insensitive idiot..its not about the money, its about a career, building a life, and having something to show for your hard work, education is what is being emphasized..and may I ask you..where the hell is your proof of him running from the law..please do tell me..because ive stayed up every day watching the news day and night as well as reading every article I could get my hands on"

The name calling proves you weren't taught that there's a proper way of speaking to others. I won't stoop to your level. Perhaps you should read my earlier comments on this whole case. I have to agree with the person who posted saying that his friends (people like you) are only fueling other people with anger. You're angry that he's missing, but do NOT take it out on us.

Funny how you've stated that the media isn't always right and not to "believe everything" and yet there you are TUNING into the news and READING the articles! If you know him as well as you claim you do, I'm sure you would be able to get your updates about the case from his family or the RCMP, so why aren't you? And what the proof that he was running from the law you ask? THE FACT THAT HE HAD DRUGS IN HIS POSSESSION and DROVE OFF during a ROUTINE ROAD CHECK. How many times must that point be emphasized?? I don't care if he was pulled over for speeding, for a road check, or so forth, the fact that is clear in this case (probably the ONLY clear fact actually) is that he became a criminal the moment he sped away from the police. People who don't have anything to hide cooperate. Again, STOP READING if you don't want to hear our opinions.

"It's true the media isn't always correct, but I'm sure you only recently started feeling this way."

no for most us this is not the case. living in the lower mainland where we are bombarded by issues in the media on these topics we have learned from the time we were little kids just how wrong the stuff we read can be. maybe it's the fact we live in different areas and the culture around us is different. we have time and time again dealt with attacks and misleading info in the media, this is nothing new for indo-canadians. and the fact we mention all these things of dal is BECAUSE when a young indo-canadian male posesses these characteristics is he most likelY to NOT be involved in they very activity some here are specualting about. we are able to actually tell which guys will go down this road and which ones will steer clear from it. dal is one of those guys who has always believed in getting an education and having a respectable job. the reason we mention what good $ he made is because ppl simply get involved in drug dealing for the money and he clearly was earning more than enough as it is. now i'm sure one of u will go and say he was money hungry and wanted more. but we know what dal is like. we know him to NOT be a drug dealer. yes he was found with pot..but so were 4 other guys right? isn't is possible one of them was the drug dealer? isn't it possible that dal was going up for a party like his brother has said in the news but one of the other guys had a "deal" to do? and not all ppl who hang around with drug dealers ARE drug dealers themselves. and now don't go and say something about how who u hang around with says something about u. i know a lot of good ppl who have "bad" friends..it's kinda tough when u've known ppl for so long and they may do something u don't agree with..u may not be able to stop them..but u may also not completely turn ur back on them either. trust me i've been through it. it's freaken tough.

i also think that what some ppl are calling attacks from us started when some ppl started posting over the top comments. ex. "I guess all reports that the police were such bad guys and the young guys were such great and straight citizens was not quite how it was after all."

that was one of the first and from there u can only imagine what we would think. this comment just came across filled with attitude when i read it. wouldn't it set u off? and then there was the independent soldiers comment. ok sure some of you are just curious and do not know a lot about these things (such as the independent soldiers). but we are ppl that do know and have gone through all this so we're trying to let you know what our truths are. because we're the ones that have dealt with this missing man one on one. we have insight that you guys may not be able to get from reading these articles. we know the pain all the ppl are going through that care about dal. we're just trying to voice it...but it's just dis-heartening when strangers make assumptions because beleive it or not it does hurt us when somebody (even over the net) will come up with things that are not true about our dal. it really is just adding to the pain.

This is getting really DISGUSTING!!!!!
the more comments family and friends write, the more bitter people are getting! I understand this is an opinion paper, but people shouldnt go on like this, I certainly wouldnt want to hear people talking about my child like tkis. I think OPINION 250 should remove the right for people to post comments, because it causing a lot of friction between friends and family and the community of vanderhoof (i think it is those people posting the comments). Instead of people posting comments they should be out their walking up and down the river bank. I REALLY WISH I COULD HELP INSTEAD OF HAVING TO WRITE THESE COMMENTS, BUT THE TRUTH IS I AM SITTING SOME 4000 MILES AWAY, AND YES I WOULD FLY OVER IF I HAD THE CHOICE, BUT AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME DUE TO A BACK SURGERY I AM UNABLE TO WALK WHICH REALLY HURTS ME KNOWING THAT MY BROTHER IS LOST OUT THERE AND GOD HAS TIED ME TO A BED. So please i ask all of you stop posting stupid comments, I know everyone has a right to an opinion, but 80 comments to a story is getting overboard, take the time to say a prayer or think of your own loved one. PLEASE!!!! God bless CANADA

well well what a shame we live in a country that makes criminals out of pot smokers and gun owners,but the most damaging drug affecting society today is sold in gov licensed establishments. ALCOHOL .When was the last time you heard of some dude smoking to much pot and beating his wife and kids? How much a year does alcohol related medical problems cost us tax payers a year? How about cracking down on the drug companies that make the drugs that METH IS MADE FROM? Weather this young man was , the wrong guy in the wrong place, the right guy in the wrong place, or right guy in the right place , is totally irelevent ! I would run from the cowboy cops in this town to!!! and then turn myself in in pg with a lawyer!!! MY thoughts and prayers go out to the family and boy!! one more rant on the DRUG issue--Those that are going to say that pot is a gateway drug to harder drugs know this those who move on to harder drugs would get there anyway ,almost all the people ive met that are hard drug users don't smoke pot. and id rather catch my kids stealing a joint from me than find them dead in the shed with his head over a can of gas. as a pot smoking HICK from HOOTERVILE I FIND IT RIDICULES THAT ON SOME DAYS I CANT FIND A BAG OF WEED IN THIS TOWN BUT METH,CRACK,AND COKE ANY TIME ANY DAY.

heidi1555..thank you for understanding where we may be coming from..you don't know how much its appreciated..and again I doubt anyone honestly meant to offend anyone..again his family and friends (me included) may just be venting and retaliating to the hurtful and rude comments being thrown at Dal

cestlavie..if you think that Im just some youth that only cares for money..you've just proven yourself to be a judgemental ignorant insensitive idiot..its not about the money, its about a career, building a life, and having something to show for your hard work, education is what is being emphasized..and may I ask you..where the hell is your proof of him running from the law..please do tell me..because ive stayed up every day watching the news day and night as well as reading every article I could get my hands on..nowhere do they seem to have proof of him running from the law..EVEN if thats the case..IT DOESNT MATTER..that can be taken care of when he has returned home and is safe..as his friends we have a right to defend him when he can't..and when I know someone is wrong ..damn right Im going to defend him..dont doubt that for a second..as far as going there..there are god knows how many people up there already searching for him..there is only so much we can do