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Published on March 18, 2008

In the case of one rural community in Songkhla's Hat Yai district, differences between neighbours led to a loss of lives.

Vinus Chukamnerd, 52, opened fire at his two neighbours and their friends, eight people who were enjoying a drink and playing music in their house around midnight. When arrested, Vinus said he shot them because they often held noisy drinking parties that disturbed his sleep.

Vinus said he had warned his neighbours not to make so much noise at night, because he had to wake up early to go to work on a rubber plantation. Vinus said he actually wanted to shoot only one man - his neighbour, who said it was none of Vinus's business, because they were partying in their own house.

The victims were new to the community. They came from a city and perhaps did not try to learn about the way of life in a rural community.

Can people of different cultures and lifestyles live together?

Pipob Udomittipong moved from Bangkok to an agrarian community in Chiang Mai's San Kamphaeng district seven years ago. He has worked as translator for publishing houses and academics while most families in the village are farmers.

Pipob found that to live peacefully in the community, all he had to do was be more patient with noise, especially during festivals, when the villagers hold all-night parties.

Pipob said he had to leave the village to find some other place to sleep during the festivals, but members of the community agreed that when there was no festival, parties would stop at 10pm, because everyone in the village had to wake up early, Pipob said.

In another story, Nual shared her experience of how a community rule helped prevent disputes. Nual moved from a rural village in Nakhon Sawan to work on a construction site in Bangkok.

"We all agreed with the community's rule of not making noise and disturbing neighbours after 10pm, because everyone needed sleep," she said.

Perhaps, a tragic incident like Vinus's case could have been avoided if other members of the community had been more concerned about the dispute.

Also, property rights need to be better understood to avoid arguments like: "This is my property, and I can be as noisy as I want."

Well, the law does not allow you to cut down a golden teakwood tree even though it stands on your property. Understanding our rights and duties to the community and being considerate of our neighbours' needs is essential to living harmoniously.

Subhatra Bhumiprabhas can be contacted via e-mail at

subhatra@nationgroup.com.

The Nation