KUCHING, May 15: The death of a 16-year-old teenager at MJC Batu Kawah from an apparent suicide should serve as a wake-up call to social media users to seriously take note of a friend’s “distress call” and offer support.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Women’s vice-president Voon Shiak Ni said social media users could save lives and extend help to support suicidal individuals, especially those with mental-health issues.
There have been many instances, she pointed out, where lives were saved and crime cases cracked with help through social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp due to the fast and effective circulation of information.
She described the tragedy, in which the victim apparently took her own life after conducting an Instagram poll whether she should live or die, as saddening and shocking.
“A precious young life is gone, and we do seriously seek the kind attention of all netizens and social media users on this matter. There must be responsible use of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.
“We hope this incident will serve as a wake-up call to all social media users to seriously take note of friends posting distress calls via social media and to seek help and support for them,” Voon, who is also Sarawak PKR vice-chairperson said in a statement today.
She advised the public who are friends or know of any individual to be unhappy, suffering stress or depression, to contact the police, welfare or established groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to seek help.
Folks should also set up befriender groups for such individuals, especially those showing an inclination for suicide.
“Life is most precious,” Voon reminded.
On Monday (May 13) evening, a teenager was found covered in blood on the street, believed to have fallen from the third floor of a shop lot at MJC Batu Kawah here, by her brother who was on his way home after having dinner with their mother.
The victim allegedly conducted an online poll via her Instagram account prior to the incident at around 3pm.
She posted a question: ‘Really Important, Help Me Choose D/L.’
Based on the explanation by her close friends, it was believed that the D had referred to “death”, while the L referred to “Live”. The pool result showed 69 per cent for D and 31 per cent for L.
It is understood that the victim had posted a status in her Facebook account that said ‘Wanna Quit F**king Life I’m Tired.’
It was learned that the victim had been disappointed with her stepfather, who works in Singapore, for visiting her less frequently as he used to after marrying a Vietnamese woman.
Padawan district police chief Supt Aidil Bolhassan was reported as saying that no criminal elements were uncovered at the scene of the incident and that the case had been identified as sudden death. — DayakDaily
