THE BOND between slain businessman Patrick Chin (Tsang Wan On) and the Spanish Town community was evident yesterday as family, friends, co-workers and associates turned out at the Dovecot Chapel, Spanish Town, to pay their final respects.
Tears flowed freely as the mourners comforted each other and tried to understand how the father of four small children could be murdered in a country which advertised itself as an island paradise.
As Mr. Chin's brothers read tributes in his native Chinese, two of the children played with their cousin, seemingly unaware that they would never see their father again. The eldest, Tiffani, remained close to her mother, Cui Qin who was sobbing uncontrollably.
But she along with others were encouraged to take comfort in the fact that there was a God of justice who would not allow murderers to go free.
Quoting from The book of Revelations, Mr. Chin's cousin, businessman Harry Wong, spewed wrath at his killers, saying that, "the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
Later, Mr. Wong told The Gleaner that he and other business people were tired of all the talk and suggestions given toward solving crime in Jamaica when these were followed by a lack of concrete action.
He and Elder Eli Ho asked God to give the police, some of whom were present in the packed chapel, the wisdom to manage the rising rate of crime and to bring the murderers to justice. However, the time had come, he said, for all political parties to band together to fight the scourge "because these crimes affect everybody".
Patrick Chin, who came from Hong Kong in 1982 and who operated New World Wholesale in Spanish Town, was shot and killed at his business place on August 27.
