What a great new year I had... As usual, I would spend my new year in Thailand, my maternal grandparent’s place. It was kind of nice as usual, though this year, short of my eldest uncle’s family. It all started with the ending of Physics lesson.
FRIDAY, 16th February 2007, 29th day of the 12th Moon of the Chinese calendar. Physics with Themudu as usual would be a good time for a nap. I’d just finished my news casting the previous night and then went for a long drive to the town of Yan with Qiu Ping where I found Pantai Murni, a beautiful place to look at the setting sun upon the sea. We went to the pasar malam there too.
After Physics class, we quickly had our lunch and I was to return to Penang as soon as possible as I cannot afford to lose any time. I had to start my journey to Thailand by 4 pm as the bridge would jam at around 5 pm. With me, were Ken and Yik. Though their flight was on Saturday, but I sent them to the airport on Friday as I had to leave for Thailand.
After sending them to the airport, I went to visit my paternal grandmother. She looked thin. Nothing much I said to her as I really found nothing to say. I passed the oral rehydrating salt to the Indonesian maid then I went back home, waiting for my parents to return. After they returned, we packed the things to bring there. As usual, there would be a lot of things. Things my maternal grandparents want, things my uncles & aunts want, and even things relatives from Penang wanted to send to those in Thailand.
We set out from Penang home at around 6 pm. I drove. God! The traffic was massive! JAM!!! We took 2 hours from the Penang home and cross the bridge, reaching Butterworth at around 8pm. Stupid. My father even had to get down of the car to stop the traffic so my lane could move as my lane was blocked from moving due to the breaking down of a car in front.
We reached Hadyai at around 10:30pm Malaysian time but aunt Lay Choo wasn’t around. Ish... what to do? We had super late late dinner at a restaurant nearby and I SMSed my friends to divert my attention while waiting for the food. Frankly speaking, I do not like the idea of spending one night in Hadyai before going into Yala because the thought of travelling actually disturbs me. However, due to the dangers of bombings and terrorists attacks, we had to spend one night in Hadyai before going into Yala as we were already late.
SATURDAY, 17th February 2007, 30th day of the 12th Moon of the Chinese calendar. Its Chinese New Year’s Eve and we left for Yala early in the morning. This time, my father drove. Nothing much happened today, just the usual praying to the Ancestors and God. We went to Aunt Nok, Uncle Ah Keong’s wife’s to have Koay Chap, then, later I had my hair dyed copper. At first I thought of dyeing it red but I had done red before, so I tried copper.
At night, instead of steamboat, we had home cooking by my maternal grandmother and my father. Reunion Dinner? Maybe. Uncle Ah Kheng was there, Uncle Tin Tin & Family were there, Uncle Ah Keong & Family were there, my grandparents were there, and my family and I were also there.
SUNDAY, 18th February 2007, 1st day of the 1st Moon of the Chinese calendar. CHINESE NEW YEAR’S DAY!!! The first day of Chinese New Year came, and in the morning, I went to pray at a temple near my grandparent’s house with my parents, grandparents, and my cute cousin, Zi Long. It was kind of a pleasant morning. After praying, we went back straight home.
My parents and grandparents then went to the factory to pray at the shrines of the Gods. I refused to go, so I stayed at home. My third uncle, Tin Tin, came by with his family but I was the only one there. I told them everyone went to the factory of course. Then suddenly the phone rang. I picked it up. It was my eldest uncle, Bee Bee. He wished everyone Happy Chinese New Year, bla bla bla.
Then everyone came back home. Aunt Lay Choo was there also with Uncle Ah Kheng. Everyone was like talking non-stop to each other and we ended up eating Swenson’s in the shopping complex opposite my grandparents’ house, Coliseum. I think it is because nothing is more interesting than ice-cream and movies there, but it was actually the fact that my grandfather loves ice-cream.
Upon entering the complex, I should feel tensed, but instead, I felt nothing. It was like I had no fear for any bomb assaults. Maybe it was because Uncle Ah Keong mentioned about it was safe at Coliseum as the people working there are of Muslim believers. Also, the owner was a Muslim also. He also mentioned the safest place to go is the old market in Yala where Muslim density is very high...
I ordered a strawberry shake but I had to eat extra as my grandmother could not finish her ice-cream. Ish... if I knew it earlier, I wouldn’t have ordered my strawberry shake. After ice-cream-ing, it was time to go back home. My mother went shopping with Uncle Tin Tin’s wife, Aunt Ciap. Uncle Tin Tin, his son Wei Long, Aunt Lay Choo, with my father, took my grandmother back, leaving behind my grandfather and I. So what should I do? Since my grandfather doesn’t like shopping, I accompanied him back also.
While waiting for my mother to return with Aunt Ciap, I went online for a while. Not many were online. Then they came back. It was time to visit my 2nd granduncle with Uncle Tin Tin & Family. We went to my granduncle’s petrol station, as usual, and we found something amiss there. His office was locked! He was inside though. His workers were outside his office, in their respective seats in their own common office. We asked the workers what happened but none really knew the reason.
We asked the workers to inform my granduncle of our coming but they dared not even speak to him through the phone. My mother and Uncle Tin Tin talked to my granduncle over the phone but he doesn’t seem to be welcoming us. He kept on saying that his eyes hurt, tired, not feeling well. This was really strange indeed. He used to welcome us warmly no matter how his conditions are. He used to be very happy whenever we visited him, but not this time. This time, he said he wanted to rest and he refused to unlock his door. He refused to meet us. Instead of resting, we saw that he was reading newspapers.
After we waited a while, he reluctantly unlocked the office door and let us in. RELUCTANTLY. He didn’t seem happy. He was agitated. Something was bothering him. He mentioned about not giving any angpows this year. I had no intention to ask angpow from him but this was really not right. Something was very very very not right. Angpow wise, I know it wasn’t because of me or my cousin, Wei Long, because at that time, only both of us were present.
Before this, a group of my cousins and I paid him visits every Chinese New Year but he didn’t even hesitate to give us angpow money. He even gave money, bank notes! So I was very sure it wasn’t due to me or Wei Long. He kept on mentioning that he’s very worried and sad. When asked what he was worried about, no definite answer came, no definite answer he gave. What could be done? Nothing. So we went back home.
On the way back home, we went to Uncle Tin Tin’s first house as I wanted to look at some Ophthalmology & Eye Pathology books. Many books I found there. Even Goodman & Gillman’s Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics was there. My main aim was to find books on glaucoma as one of my friend’s mother seems like having symptoms similar to that of glaucoma. Then it was off home. Evening came and Aunt Lay Choo left Yala going back to her house in Hadyai. The remaining people planned for a dinner at a coffee shop a few houses away from my grandmother’s house. We were to meet there at 6:30 pm Thai time.
After Aunt Lay Choo’s leave taking, I followed Uncle Tin Tin back to his house at the Yala Provincial Hospital. The house was really cool and cozy there. It was peaceful and nice. I was to sleep there that night. I found a few books of Therapeutics and Internal Medicine Principles there too. 6:30 pm came very fast and off we went back to my grandparents’ house to have dinner nearby. It was really a short walking distance, so we walked to the coffee shop from my grandparents’ house.
I wasn’t really surprised to find Aunt Lay See & Family there, instead, I was kind of... like... oh, you’re here (so lame)... Annie was there and the very first thing she asked was – my laptop. Unfortunately for her, I left my laptop at Uncle Tin Tin’s place – hahaha... Food was kind of nice there, I was supposed to sit at the grown-ups’ table but due to the sudden presence of Aunt Lay See & Family, I was reverted to the children’s table, with Annie. Pity the both of us.
In the children’s table, food, of course, would not be as good as the grown-ups’. What’s worse, I had to deal with two small kids – Zi Long & Zi Xiang, sons of Uncle Ah Keong... ish... thanks to Annie!!! Half-way through the dinner, around 7pm, the lights suddenly dimmed. They didn’t completely go out, just dimmed, so it wasn’t pitch black. However, it was also only for a moment before the lights came back to the initial brightness. The television set went static for a while also, together when the lights dimmed.
At that instant, I heard the grown-ups conversing about bombings and something about the faint sound of a distant bomb explosion. I heard nothing but they claimed that they heard a faint explosion. They doubted. They hesitated. They were afraid of the repeat of the incident last time in Yala where the whole town went blackout, and bombs started exploding. That time, 22 banks were targeted.
A police truck was seen rushing here and there. Uncle Tin Tin called to the hospital to confirm about the bombing. He confirmed the bombing was at a karaoke somewhere further down town and he said that we had to leave the place as opposite the coffee shop, there were a few rows of motorcycles parked there. This is a favourite spot for bombs. If one were to explode there, we would all be doomed. The shattered pieces of motorcycle and debris would be shot across the road, hitting us. His phone kept ringing – he knew it was from the hospital. He refused to receive the call as it was not him who was on call on that day, and the route to the hospital was dangerous that time.
My grandmother started asking everyone to go home. Aunt Lay See, I don’t blame her as she was shocked before, also asked everyone to go back to my grandparents’ house. With them, went the small kids Zi Long & Zi Xiang, Wei Long, and Annie, who I was not sure whether she was afraid or what. Annie’s father, Uncle Danny, was looking across the road to the shopping complex, Coliseum, where swarms of people started to leave the building. They must have heard rumours about a bomb might explode at the complex.
My grandfather went like: “If you people are scared, you people go back home first.” He stayed back as there was food left. I stayed back. My mother was there, my father too. Uncle Ah Kheng & Family, Uncle Tin Tin, Aunt Ciap, Uncle Ah Keong, Aunt Nok, & Uncle Danny were all there. Uncle Danny was still standing outside looking at the commotion opposite while others remained inside eating Lat Na.
Suddenly I heard an explosion. This time, I HEARD IT! It was clear and loud. Somewhere near. I supposed it came from somewhere behind the shop. Upon hearing that, everyone automatically stood up. My mother got excited saying that we had to leave now. Uncle Ah Keong, who was cool all the time also shouted: “This time its real! Gotta leave liao! This time gotta leave liaw!!!”
We all moved out of the shop. Instead of moving back to the house, all were too stunned to move, they remained outside the shop. Then Uncle Tin Tin and my mother shouted at all of them to move, then only they moved back home. On the way home, Aunt Nok and I supported my grandfather. At this time, the feeling was really unexplainable. Scared? No. Fear? No. Happy? Of course not lah! Anxious maybe.
I heard Uncle Ah Kheng’s wife asking her children to move forward, not to look back. Uncle Ah Keong took the Lat Na he was eating halfway together with him. Everyone was like moving. I wasn’t sure whether they were panicking or not but I wasn’t. I kept urging my grandfather to move forward. I applied some pressure forward as he was moving like a turtle. He got angry and said: “STOP PUSHING LAH!”
Upon reaching the house, most of us stood outside. Uncle Tin Tin then asked everyone to come in. My mother, who experienced the 513 incident before also asked everyone to stay inside the house. My grandfather, being as stubborn as usual, stayed outside. My father and Uncle Danny then accompanied him outside while all others went inside. I went to the third floor where there was an open space for us to look out to what was happening.
I went up there and found that most of the family members were already there. Suddenly there came an explosion, louder and clearer than the one I heard before. It came from opposite – Coliseum shopping complex. I saw nothing as it was dark. I only heard the explosion and shattering of glasses. I then saw police jeeps and ambulances rushing to the complex. One person was injured.
I saw many took their motorcycles and rode away. A few dragged their motorcycles away – why? I don’t know. I saw two youths running towards a jeep. Upon approaching the jeep, both dropped to the road as if they played tripped. They were looking under the jeep for bombs before driving away. The explosion could happen anywhere, even my grandparents’ house! I should be afraid. I should be in fear. However, I felt a sudden surge of rage and anger in me. These terrorists are really CB! I would say no more of it. Idiots! PK!
After that, I heard about four more explosions but all were far away. The news reported 11 bombs were found and they were targeted on small hotels/motels, karaokes, and petrol stations. When they heard the news casters mentioning about petrol stations, the first thing came to their minds were my 2nd granduncle & his petrol station. This answered most of the unsolved riddles playing in our minds earlier about my granduncle’s worries. He might have already known about the bombs in his petrol station, the only problem being he doesn’t know where the bomb was placed.
That night, I stayed at supposedly the safest place there – the hospital. I stayed over at Uncle Tin Tin’s place. He told me that according to the news, 11 bombs were found in Yala, 3 in Pattani, 22 injured, 1 killed.
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