Murder in the Village

[chassamui]

I have lived in a small village in Surat for the last 4 years. Small in terms of people, dwellings and services, but large in terms of land mass. Rubber, Palm and Banana take up most of the space and people just squeeze in where they can.
The majority, surprisingly enough are Thai. Poor subsistence farmers on plots of 20 to 100 Rai. There’s a large primary school and the kids move to the nearby towns for secondary education.
Almost without exception, the local businesses are run by enterprising Thai Chinese families, Mom and Pop shops, gas station, water suppliers etc. Mostly everyone rubs along nicely with the odd minor fall out interrupting the peace.
Until Chinese new year this week. Like most Chinese families they celebrate by welcoming all the waifs and strays who have left their birthplace to seek fortune elsewhere. One such man was Jum, returning to his parents Mom and Pop shop in the village. Just around the corner is the large rambling property of a retired Thai Chinese landowner, where the celebrations are held. Lots of booze and fireworks. In more ways than one.
Time to introduce the villain. Bug is a schizophrenic. Like a great many others, he is nice as pie when working and sober. When he has had a few he gets nasty. He is wont to explore the village carrying his .38 and firing at the sky, the trees and soi dogs that get in his way. Drinking gives him delusions of grandeur and he is likely to tell anyone who will listen, that he is the unofficial head man and should be wai’d with utmost respect. I should mention at this point, you could draw a straight line from the Mom and Pop shop in the east, through the Chinese party house, Bugs house and the village school in the west. Not directly connected because of the plantations, but less than a kilometre in apart.
About 0130hrs in the morning Bugs wife has kicked him out for being brain dead drunk, so he hears the sound of partying and follows it the Chinese new year house.
All participants are well known to one another and it transpires that Bug takes offence to Jum refusing him access to the party on account of Bugs inebriation. Bug demands to be allowed in as he is the real head of the village. In response to the guests laughter at this pronouncement, Bug pulls out his thirty-eight and puts 6 rounds in Jums midriff.
All hell breaks loose with women and children screaming and a few blokes trying to disarm Bug. This and the decision to call for his wife to come and fetch him, takes several minutes and no one thinks to call an ambulance or a local cop.
Bugs wife has disowned him, Jum bled out while family and friends tried to stop the bleeding. He dies quite quickly and unsurprisingly, given the perforations to his gut. The police finally arrive at 3am, arrest Bug who is now residing at the local monkey house nursing a massive hangover.
Jum is taken to hospital rather belatedly, and everyone goes home. This morning apart from local gossip and tittle tattle, the village has returned to normal, and all the Thai Chinese businesses are open as normal.
My place is about half a km from the shooting and I slept through it all totally unaware. GF was rattling away excitedly first thing when she came in from cutting rubber about 6.30 am. She went to work at 1.30 and thought it was just extra noisy new year fireworks as she set off.
It’s like the fookin wild west out there and everyone seems to accept it as normal life.