Murder of Love
A true story
Author: Pajdee Thao 2023
This story tells about a lover that killed a dozen people. In most cases, you’ve probably heard, a lover either killed herself/himself or both lovers ended up dying. But in this story, a lover killed many people in the village of Phake, Laos. I will walk you through the beginning, during the incident, and the after effects of the incident.
When I was a child and not yet ready for school, I was always cared for by my cousin May during the day. At the time, my mom was busy tending her tiny shop. In those days, a young man often came to visit May and engaged in a love relationship with her. Days and months passed, and the young man went to join the army. From then on, the young man’s married older brother came to argue with May. He convinced her to end her love relationship with his brother. His harassing behavior continued for days and weeks. May got fed up with this behavior and got two grenades and hid them under her shirt by her waist.
One early morning, that older brother came back, harassing May once again. At that time, my cousin quickly instructed me to run to the market so she could carry out her plan. She gave me some money and directed me to buy some sour fruits for us to eat. I took her money and quickly scurried out of the house. As soon as the door was closed behind me, a great explosion occurred. I frantically ran for cover in a dirt chicken coop. This was what I was instructed to do during the war if I heard anything dangerous or suspicious. While hiding in the chicken coop, I heard people talking. I crept out of the coop and moved toward the door of the house. The door suddenly opened, and the older brother came out of the house, his hair sticking up as high as a beach ball! A man standing near the door saw this event and said, “Oh my God, this is you.” The older brother collapsed into that man, and a few others joined him to carry the older brother away. At that time, my mom came home from her shop and called me, “Paj, Paj!” As I heard my name, I turned and saw my mom.Together, we walked into our house that was connected with my uncle’s house. Upon arriving in my house, I was curious to learn what was going on in my uncle’s house. I picked a look on the wooden wall where I could see through to my uncle’s house. There were three officers surrounding my cousin May, trying to calm her down. The officers told her not to do anything that they were there to help. My cousin’s answer to them, “It’s too late now.” As soon as she uttered those words, the grenade exploded! Everyone was silent…in shock. A moment later, sounds of people could be heard again and it became obvious that people were hurt and killed. Two officers and nine men were killed instantly. Of the women, my mom was only hit on her back. May, my cousin was broken in half. My mom just had a minor injury because the shred of the grenade did not pass through her body. My cousin’s body was literally torn in half: her torso landed nicely on a bed; her bottom half flew over another house; and her stomach landed squarely in a pot. An old lady saw it and thought that it was a pig stomach. The old lady said, “Young lady, oh young lady…, why not just cook the pig stomach, rather than kill yourself?”
Eleven men and one woman died instantly at the scene that fateful day. Additionally, one man died at the hospital, and two others were injured: one man and one woman.
From the two deadly explosions, the walls of our houses were broken to the ground, and all rice bags which were used to hang around our houses were torn down for carrying dead people away. May was buried without a funeral, but others had funerals throughout the village. Hmong people performed funerals in their own homes, so many drum sounds were heard throughout the village. This created a sad and frightening environment for the villagers.
My cousin’s plan was not to kill the villagers. Her intent was to use one grenade to harm the older brother and one grenade to harm herself. However, due to the lack of security blocking people from the area and the rush of people wanting to learn what was happening at the scene, the result ended up as a mass killing. In this incident, there was no one to blame and no one to be angry at. The lesson learned was to not end someone’s love relationship, and also to not rush into a situation without knowing the extent of what is going on. Learning this lesson would help lead to a safer, happier place in the future.
Kev Hlub Tua Neeg
Neejneeg muaj tseeb
Tus sau: Pajdib Thoj 2023
Lujtem = foob pob (lus Blog)
Thajham = Tus rog (lus Blog)
Hoosmaum = tsev kho mob, hospital (lus Blog)
Lub maib = lub tswvyim, txoj kev baj (lus Blog)
Xiam oob qhab = handicap (Lus Blog)
Thib ib = First; Thib ob = Second
Nej puas hnov dua kev hlub tua neeg zej zog? Feem ntau, kev hlub tsuas tua tus kheej lossis ob tug sib pus mus tuag uake, tiamsis kuv zaj lus no kev hlub tua neeg zej zog ntau leej nyob lub zos Phabkeb teb chaws Blog. Kuv yuav piav lub hauv paus, lub tsamthawj, thiab tomqab lub tsamthawj.
Thaum kuv tseem yau thiab tsis tau mus kawm ntawv, kuv niaj hnub mus nrog tais Me nyob. Nws yog tus zov kuv vim kuv niam pheej mus zov tablaj. Lub caij kuv nrog nws nyob ntawd, ib tug hluas pheej tuaj nrog nws tham. Gawv sib tham ntev loo ces tus hluas ho mus ua thajham (tub rog) lawm. Xij ntawd ces kuv ho pom tus tij laug uas twb muaj pojniam lawm pheej tuaj nrog tais Me sib cav. Tej lus kuv hnov, tus tij laug no tuaj wias kom tais Me tso nws tus kwv tseg. Gawv sib cav ntau hnub ces tais Me thiaj baj tau ob lub lujtem.
Sawv wov tsees, tus tij laug txawm siv rov tuaj nrog nws sib cav dua. Yogli, nws thiaj muab nyiaj rau kuv kom kuv mus yuav txiv qaub los rau peb noj. Kuv txawm ua li nws hais thiab maj nroos tawm plaws lub qhov rooj. Kuv dhau plaws lub qhov rooj xwb ces lujtem nrov poog. Kuv khiav pes coog mus gaum hauv lub coojqaib qhov av. Kuv gaum ntev loo, kuv txawm hnov neeg tham zomzaws. Kuv thiaj tawm hauv lub coojqaib thiab rov los ze rau tawm lub qhov rooj. Lub qhov rooj qib plho thiab tus tij laug tawm plaws los: niag plaub hau wov poog li lub niag zes dav. Ib tus txiv neej thiaj hais tias, “Xav tias yog leej twg no, ua cas yog koj”. Tamsim ntawd tus tij laug vau hlo rau tus txiv neej ntawd. Lawv thiaj phaj nws mus hoosmaum. Txuas kiag ntawd, kuv hnov kuv niam hu kuv, “Paj, Pajb, Paj”. Kuv tig hlo pom kuv niam, kuv thiaj mus rau ntawm nws thiab nws thiaj coj kuv mus hauv peb lub tsev. Thaum wb txog ntua hauv tsev, kuv thiaj xauj pom peb tug tub ceevxwm sawv vijvog tais Me thiab ib tug txawm cheem tias, “Txhob ua li kod. Muaj dabtsi los mam sib tham”. Tais Me teb tias, “Lig dhau hhwv lawm”. Lolus tu rho, lujtem tawg nrov poog ces cov suab neeg jiag kiag. Ib liag, kuv hnov neeg tham zomzaws tias lujtem raug neeg lawm. Ob tug tub ceevxwm nrog rau 9 leeg txiv neej tuag kiag rau ntawm chaw. Cov pojniam, kuv niam raug ib lub txhai thiab tais Me tu nrho ua ob ya. Nws lub cev ya hlo thiab mus pw ko rau saum lub txaj qhuas. Nws ob txhais ceg ya hla dhau plaws ib lub tsev rau sab nrad. Thiab nws lub plab ya plho rau hauv nws lub laujkaub: tsis pob tsis puas. Tomqab ntawd, ib tug niam tais thiaj nroo tias, “Me whais hvos me whais, cas tsis muab plab bua ua noj es ho yuav tuag li kod”. Zaum no 11 leeg txivneej tuag kiag rau ntawm chaw thiab tus tij laug tuag rau nram hoosmaum. Ib tug txivneej thiab kuv niam raug mob. Ib tug pojniam tuag xwb: tais Me.
Tomqab lujtem tawg tas, tej daim phab tsa joog mos nyoos thiab peb cov hnab tsaj uas peb thaiv peb ob lub tsev raug dua tag nrho. Neeg muab peb cov hnab tsaj los nqa cov neeg tuag mus tsev. Tais Me raug faus tsis muaj ntees, taimsis dua li lwm tus ces nruas nrov ncha nthw hauv peb lub zej lub zos. Tej no ua rau sawvdaws tu siab thiab txias siab kawg.
Tais Me lub maib, nws tsis baj tua neeg zej zog. Nws tsuas baj tua tus tij laug uas pheej tuaj rhuav nws txoj kev hlub thiab nws tus kheej xwb. Tiamsis sawvdaws txoj kev xav paub thiab txoj kev xav pom tau coj sawvdaws mus rau txoj kev tuag. Nov thiaj ua rau sawvdaws tsis pom qab liam, tsis pom qab chim, thiab tsis pom qab wub leej twg. Nyob rau zaj no muaj 2 lub jiab lus qhia rau peb: txhob rhuav kev hlub thiab hnov nrov twg txhob xauj twg. Yog peb tseg ob yam no, peb yuav zam dhau txoj kev piamsij yav tom ntej.
Note:
Peb tus hlob lub tsev thiab peb lub tsev nyob sib buab uake. Niag tsev xov ntoo khoob lug xwb ces kuv nyob tom peb tsev los kuv yeej xauj pom tom hlob lawv tsev. Tais Me yog hlob tus whais. Lub tsev sab nrad yog ib tug dab laug lub. Tais Me ob txhais ceg ya dhau dab laug lub tsev no ntag. Nws cov roj uas poob rau daim ntaub tiv nag saum lub tsev yeej tsis yaj. Thaum twg los nag ces koj yeej tseem pom tej roj ntawd.
Tais Me ib txhais leg yau me jis vim thaum nws tseem me me, nws raug hno tshuaj es cov tshuaj ua rau txhais ceg tsis loj zoo lawm. Hmoob txoj kev tsis paub hno tshuaj ua rau tej tug tuag, tej tug tuag ceg, los xiam oob qhab. Txawm tias tais Me txhais ceg me me jis los nws yeej mus taus kev. Yog koj tsis ua tib zoo saib, koj yeej tsis paub tias nws muaj teebmeem. Nws yog ib tug me whais tsim hlub thiab txim nyiam.
Txij li tais Me tso sawvdaws tseg los txog niaj hnub nimno, kuv tsis hnov ib tug twg nroo thiab seev txog nws. Ntawm kuv, nws nyob nraim hauv kuv lub siab thiab pw ko hauv kuv txoj kev xav. Nws yog tus me neeg zoo thiab nws hlub kuv heev li. Thaum nws yuav tso lujtem rau tus hmoob, nws thiaj muab nyiaj thiab kom kuv mus yuav txiv qaub. Nov qhia tau tias nws tsis xav cia kuv tuag nrog nws thiab tus hmoob ntawd.
Txawm kuv yog menyuam yaus xwb los kuv yeej totaub nws txoj kev chim. Thaum nws tus hluas raug tuaj, kuv yeej hnov gawv hais tej lus zoo. Tiamsis thaum tus tij laug tuaj ces kuv yeej hnov gawv hais lus tsis sib haum. Tsis tag li ntawd, tus tij laug no coj li uas nws tsis muaj dejnum ua. Nws txoj hauj lwm ces yog tuaj nrog tais Me sib cav txhua hnub. Raws li kuv xav mas muaj ob yam ua rau tais Me bau taws txog them uas tua neeg. 1. Nws txwv txiav tais Me txoj kev hlub thiab 2. Nws pheej niaj hnub tuaj hais tais Me: tsis paub tso tseg. Kuv yog menyuam yaus xwb los kuv twb muaj kev meem txom vim nws pheej niaj hnub tuaj hais tej lus tsis zoo.
Txoj kev tua neeg zaum no txaus xav kawg li:
- Vim li cas tais Me thiaj baj 2 lub lujtem? Ib lub xwb yeej tua tau ob leeg lawm.
- Vim li cas lub lujtem thib 1 ho tsis raug tais Me thiab tus hmoob ho tsis tuag tamsim?
- Vim li cas lub lujtem thib 2 ho tua tib co txiv neej xwb, txhwj tais Me?
- Vim li cas nws lub cev thiaj ya mus pw saum txaj: qhov chaw zoo?
- Vim li cas nws lub plab thiaj ya mus rau hauv lub laujkaub? Nws tsis pob tsis puas li.
- Neeg tuag coob kawg, tiamsis ho tsis hnov neeg yws txog tus neeg phem.
- Puas muaj tus phem nyob rau zaj no? Nyias yuav muaj nyias kev xav; nyias mam teb raws li nyias xam pom.