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“You didn’t cry,” he said.
“No, I didn’t,” I agreed with him.
“And you’re not going to cry?”
“I suppose not.”
He looked perplexed.
“You can be all blasé about this? Just carry on, as if nothing happened?” The roaring wind outside failed to drown out his accusations.
“Story of my life,” I shrugged away his comments.
But you don’t know of the hours I spend missing him every damn night , I added quietly to myself.
What really happened in Narathiwat?
Initial reports indicated that only a handful of people died after a demonstration outside a police station in Tak Bai, but this number suddenly escalated more than tenfold, with the latest figures standing between 76 and 84 (depending on which news item you are reading).
Restlessness in the Thai-Malaysia border is not fresh news, but the alarming number of deaths in recent months have caused concern for many, especially among members of the Muslim community. While Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s spokesperson Jakrapop Penkhair insisted that there was no ‘us against them’ mentality running behind the government’s actions (i.e. the government vs. the predominantly Muslim Southern Thais), some are beginning to disagree.
There are also factual inconsistencies – Thaksin, in a news report, attributed the deaths to suffocation, heatstroke and dehydration as a result of fasting; families recovering the bodies of their loved ones find that they are riddled with gunshot wounds. The Thai government did not deny that their security forces packed hundreds of men into single trucks to be transported for further questioning.
Amnesty International are leading calls for a thorough probe on the cause of the tragedy, although it remains to be seen whether Thailand would allow external parties to conduct investigations. An eyewitness’ account of what transpired gives some insight to how matters were handled, despite governmental insistence that ‘excessive force’ was not used.
There are now more questions than there are answers, and we wonder if the truth of what really happened will ever see the light of day. It does not seem plausible to me, however, that this was not a calculated act at some level – did the Thai security forces really think, for instance, that cramming hundreds of people into a truck, stacked like bricks, would not result in deaths, dehydration and Ramadhan not withstanding?
Needless to say the tragedy has provoked anger among members of the community, with a backlash seemingly imminent. This somehow leaves a bitter taste in my mouth; because any backlash would be used as an excuse to exert more force, but how can one grieving for the senseless death of a loved one sit still and not retaliate? Before we go into a tirade of the chicken or the egg, perhaps we too should spare a thought of what we would do if we were in the shoes of those in Southern Thailand.
Whatever it is, for those who have lost a loved one in this tragedy, an apology will never be enough. The Thai government’s relationship with the Southerners may have well transcended beyond the breaking point, and the damage, irreparable. For fellow Muslims, I second the suggestion nnydd put forth in the chatbox – in this auspicious month of Ramadhan, spare a prayer (or more) for those who have tragically departed, and let us all hope that justice will be done.
“You know, you shouldn’t go through with all these antiquated mating rituals if you’re happy on you’re own. Being alone isn’t bad if you’re happy. Companionship is overrated,” he said, sipping on his coffee, pretending to savour the taste and texture of what was, essentially, Instant Nescafe.
“Companionship isn’t all that bad,” she replied coyly.
“Oh?” His eyebrow arched.
“It’s not too bad to have someone around. Like to squeeze a couple of drops of EyeMo into your eyes.”
“And this, instead of?” he asked, injecting an intentional sardonic tone.
“Instead of doing it yourself. And missing the target. And dropping it into your nostrils instead,” she replied.
He laughed out, loud.
“Sedap tak?” he asked.
“Pahit,” she grinned.