He was also very suave and good-natured, and got along with other staff. All people of my comapny loved him.

Desire to Learn

Ton was studying several subjects at an adult education institution in his village, where students must join short-term schooling several times a year. To attend the classes, he asked for one-week leave and went back home on 10th September.

Last Conversation

Three days before the tragedy, Ton called me and said, "Manji, I want to go back to Bangkok immediately, because I love working at your guesthouse and working with you. But I have to take a test this weekend, so I cannot go now. I will go back on 26th September."
I said to him, "OK, please study hard and get a good marks on the test. Good luck!" I regret that if he had come back one week earlier as scheduled, he would have never become a tragic victim.

Rushing to Prasat

After receiving the sad news, I had an urgent meeting with all staff at 4:00 am (all staffs are living at two dorm rooms in my house), and decided to go to his village by car with Max (Vice President/General Manager) and three staffs (Kai, O, and Thit) from the same village.

Prasat is located near the Cambodian border and 400km away from Bangkok. Local folk around Prasat are originally Cambodian and their ordinary language is Khmer (my staffs from this area also speak some Khmer).

Grieving Families

After a 5-hour drive from Bangkok, we arrived at his home. A funeral ceremony venue was being prepared by villagers. Dismal slow music made the atmosphere more grim and gloomy.

Ton's parents came out for greeting. His father was weeping and apparently disappointed with the bereavement of his son. He talked to me in a mournful voice, "We are proud to have you come to see us. Many business owners may not come even if their employee dies."

I respectfully express my condolences and give him an envelope of condolence money. Then I was invited to the room where Ton was laid to rest. His body was put on the floor, wrapped by cloth. I asked his father to remove the cloth, and then peered into his face. His face was a bit bloated with bruise, but just seemed to be sleeping normally. Being filled with sorrow, tears ran down my cheeks.

Business Based on Family Ties

The staff of my company are not only my subordinates, but also much more like good friends or family members. Most staffs are young (16-26 years old) and living at my house together (two rooms of my house are allocated to staff dormitory), so I can say my company is similar to a family-run business. I love all staffs and staffs also feel attached to me like a father. That's why we were so shocked and dejected.

It was Too Sad and Depressive

Then Max and I were invited to a table under a temporary hut. Eating some local food, we talked about many things with Ton's family, from the reminiscence of Ton, to how he had been working well in Bangkok, as well as the more realistic issues such as company insurance.

Back to Bangkok on the Same Day

I was very tired after the long drive. I was thinking that I would stay there for one night and then go back to Bangkok. However, the place was too sad and depressive to stay. So Max and I decided to head for Bangkok.

After coming back home, I showed the photo of Ton's body to other staff. They were also overwhelmed by grief and wept for missing the right guy.

Last Message to Ton

Ton-chan, why were you gone so quickly? I and all other staff at the Manji House are still unable to accept the situation.

We believe you have already been reincarnated and are beginning a new life. How's your new life? I hope you are starting a better life somewhere in this world.

We are still trying to contact your girl friend in Bangkok. But now that your mobile phone was gone somewhere, the only clue is the call record of the PCT phones you used. We have checked the call record of August and have called all possible numbers, but we could not reach your girl friend. I am very sorry that we cannot let her know about your situation. Maybe she will come to my house to see you in the near future. I will ask her to visit your last resting place as soon as possible. Don't worry. You can see her soon.

We are all saddened by your unexpected early death. I also deeply regret that I have lost most capable and hard-working staff like you. We will never forget about you. You are always with us.

Why do you think I am writing about you here on the Internet? I want to keep the evidence of your life forever, and let more people know about and remember you.

You know? This blog will be translated into Japanese and Thai soon. Now you are not that shy "low-profile" boy any more. Many people including Farang and Japanese are getting to know about you. You are now a super star like "Golf & Mike"! It's cool, isn't it?

I talked about you to Richard, to whom you delivered food sometimes. He was also shocked and deeply regretted your misfortune.

It was really nice that I could stay with you during your last couple of months. Thank you for your service at the "Manji House" and my company. I feel proud of you.

May you rest in peace.