Pic stolen from Shanghai Fish."You remember my friend Kasim Cha Tong? The white haired guy from Golok?" Dino Pasqual Herrera asked when we met at the NPC last night.
Yes, of course, the guy who'd suddenly go virtually silent in the midst of a heated conversation when his phone rings. All we'd see and hear then would be nods and a soft,"Kap...kap...kap," plus some strained whispering in Thai. Hence I coined a little nick for him, Mr. Kap. He didn't seem to mind. Lately he sure didn't look anything like the guy in that mugshot (above) that appeared in most dailies today.
"He was shot in Golok this evening. Some bugger just shot him in the back and ran away. Pity the bugger," Dino went on... A few minutes later a duo from the Malay Mail arrived and their photographer snapped Dino's mugshot. Off they went to complete what came out SO in the paper this afternoon.
Though I didn't really get to know to the late Kasim intimately, we did chat on various occasions as he'd regularly visit the NPC in Jalan Tangsi each time he came down to KL. Sometimes he'd stay till late and he even joined Dino and myself for supper once, or twice, probably even three times.
The NST did the best take on the murder of this anti-piracy legend HERE, amidst conflicting stories in various papers today. I'll remember this guy not for his anti-piracy endeavours, but as the guy from Sungai Golok, who painted a different, more humane, more loving picture of the town revered for everything wrong North of the East Coast border. Of course, he was born in Sungai Golok. And there he died.
May his soul rest in peace.
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