"Cookie" without the Father "Jenkit"

"Cookie" or "Lipikar Kladsakorn" holding a joss stick bowl leading her passed away father's coffin.

Every year just before December 5, a small girl usually woke up early in the morning, eagerly carrying her big bag on to her father's car on the way to school. Since December 5 would always be a special day for her after she got coloured papers from teachers to make Father's day cards to give to the most important man on earth. This year, however, the small girl can no longer put the card into her father's warm hand.

In the early hours of November 20, 03:30 when most of the patriotists rallying for true democracry in the Government House were asleep, all of a sudden, there was an explosion from a military weapon. Jenkit Kladsakorn was killed as a sacrifice to the evil government who can do anything to stay in power, even conspiring murders of the protestors.

The last scene of Jenkit was a middle age glasses-wearing man, with his eyes closed, and gushing out blood from the nose, mouth and the wounds on the neck. His chest and abdomen were soaked with blood. He was a just a civilian husband of a woman and a father of three children. He left them with a great burden and undescribable sorrow behind.

"I called him 'PA' ", said Lipikar Kladsakorn or 'Cookie' the elder sister of Jenkit. She said both her and the father were shy and only occasionally in special occasions when they hugged each other.

"When I played with him, I liked tapping his tummy. Pa had a big tummy which I liked to play with. Pa and me were both very shy. I sometimes hugged him but rarely kissed him. I was too shy." Despite rare explicit expression of love, Jenkit still made the children aware of the close relationship.

Cookie said that every morning her father usually took her to school except if engaged or rallied with PAD. If he was not available, she might have to stay at home. After school, Cookie and the sisters would cling on to the parents, watching TV, doing homeworks. If she could not do homeworks, her father would help.

"Pa is a pétanque player. Pa used to contest at provincial and interprovincial. Pa taught me to play pétanque. I like pétanque. I liked the time spent with Pa. Pa did not want me to play very long and too often as Pa was worried that I would hurt my hand or make my hand rough." Every word relived the memory of Cookie's father who would never really come back.

Cookie also said that when he was alive he always taught her to be good, obedient, not naughty, and to concentrate on studying. He would support any choices she was interested in.

"I want to be a musician. Pa really supported me at his best. I have my own guitar. Pa taught me to love the country, to love the King. There are photos of the King at home. Whenever Pa went to rally with PAD, Pa would say Pa went to defend the country, to ask for justice from the government but Pa would not let me go because Pa knew that it might not be safe. There were frequent shooting of grenades in to PAD but I had never thought that Pa would get it."

When asked Cookie to guess who were responsible for the death of Pa who sustained a fatal shrapnel cut in the major blood vessels in the neck and many others seriously injured, from the grenade fired at the rally in front of PAD's stage, the 11 years old girl seriously said, "The government is behind all this. I believe the government is certainly behind her father's death and others' deaths by hiring UDD/DAAD to fire military weapons into PAD."

"I am very angry with them. I really hate them. I am very vengeful too, against anyone who killed and ordered the killing of my father. I want to ask them if it were their fathers, their mothers, how would they feel. How would they live on?", Cookie painfully replied.

Passing into December, it is His Majesty the King's birthday which is also the national "Father's day", Cookie said that every year the school tells students to make Father's day card.

"I gave him a card every year because the school taught me to. After school, I gave it to Pa. Pa took it and hugged me. Pa told me that he loved me. Pa collected every card. Pa rarely told he loved me but on every Father's Day, after I gave him the card, Pa would say it."

Her voice turned sadder when talking about the Father's Day because it is the first Father's Day in her life which she has no father to hug.

"This year I will make a card like every year. Then, I will place it together with a garland in front of Pa's photo. I will tell him that I will be good. Do not worry. Sleep well. I will look after mother and sisters. I miss you very much. Pa used to tell me before he got killed by the explosion that if he was killed, he would return to visit us. As a presage, at night the television would turn on by itself for ASTV channel, then, me and mother should know that Pa is back and should get some food for him."

"Still Pa never returns. I have not seen Pa in my dream. I miss Pa very much. If I am asked what I would like most on Father's day, I would like to see Pa in my dream. I want to hug Pa and tell him that I love him most. I would like to see Pa in my dream on the Father's day."

Original Article in Thai from www.Manager.co.th