A family of four is doomed for the loss of a breadwinner in Betong’s car bomb
Decho Dariyoh, the 32-year old security guard at the Holiday Hill hotel in downtown Betong, had looked forward to celebrating the first Hari Raya, the festival marking the end of Ramadan, of his youngest son who is just 11 months old.
Sadly though, he didn’t have the chance. On Friday July 25 which was three days before the Hari Raya, he was on duty outside the hotel when a parked pickup truck laden with explosives and urea stuffed in a 15-kg cooking gas cylinder exploded.
Decho and another woman were killed instantly and 40 others were injured in the bomb blast.
Decho’s wife, Mrs Maleewan Polsomboon, and their three sons narrowly escaped death. They were in front of the hotel with Decho after handing over food to him that she bought from the market.
"Normally, he (Decho) would chat with the three kids for a while. But on that day, he told me to take all the children home after he received the food from me," recalled Mrs Maleewan.
She said that Decho became suspicious of the pickup truck parked in front of the hotel after there was a loud noise from the bonnet of the car and one front lamp came out. She admitted she did not pay attention to the pickup truck and drove the motorcycle with their three kids away as told.
Mrs Maleewan stopped at a traffic light about 700 metres from the hotel which was only about two minutes ride from the hotel when she heard a loud explosion from behind.
She admitted that she was shocked at the sight of a huge fireball and a black plume of smoke. She said she returned to the hotel in her motorcycle with the three kids and all of the time prayed that her husband must have already back into the hotel after they parted and should be fine.
But she was wrong. She said she could not get close to the hotel because security forces had cordoned off the area. They later went to the hospital where she learned that Decho was one of the two killed in the explosion.
Mrs Maleewan said that all of them would have died that day if she lingered on in front of the hotel a few minutes longer as they usually did but her husband saved their lives by telling them to go home.
Without her husband who was the only breadwinner of the family, Mrs Maleewan conceded that she was totally in the dark about what to do with the family.
"We used to be together all five of us everyday. Now, the children missed their father and cried looking for him, but I don’t know what to do," said Mrs Maleewan.
Her three children are just kids : 6-year old Ms Pakavadee, 4-year old Ms Patthavadee and 11-month old Poomikorn.
She disclosed that one the first day that Decho reported to work at the hotel which was July 18, there seemed to be a bad omen for him. "The second child took out his photo from his wallet and cut it with scissors. He was very angry and punished the girl and then he turned to me and asked was it a bad sign. But I told him not to be worried."
Decho’s father, Mr Wahab Dariyoh, an imam at Darun Mamu masjid in Betong, said his son’s death was a big blow to the family.
He recalled that his son was very excited to celebrate his son’s first Hari Raya. Decho, he said, promised to increase the amount of rice donated to the masjid in line with the number of the family.
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Caption : The remaining of Decho after his death.