From Straits Times 271108,
Teen’s death plunge: Suicide
By Elena Chong
A 15-YEAR-OLD student leapt to his death after his parents tried to dissuade him from switching his co-curricular activity, a coroner’s court heard.Shortly before the incident on Feb 13, Tan Wen Yi had told his parents he had lost his inspiration to run and insisted on switching to drama.
At the end of the discussion, the Secondary 3 student of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) said: ‘In fact, I plan to do it in March but I am going to do it now.”
He headed towards his bedroom.
Sensing something amiss, his mother followed him.
She was a few steps away when he jumped 11 floors from the bedroom window of a condominium in Bukit Timah.
Investigation officer Staff Sergeant Raymond Chng from Tanglin police division stated that earlier that day, Wen Yi was playing soccer with his friends in school.
On seeing this, his track and field teacher, Mr Ng Yeong Joo, 38, questioned him for not attending his training session.
After Mr Ng had left, Wen Yi complained to his classmate that he had to attend make-up training session four times a week. He said he wanted to die but his classmate thought he was joking.
They continued playing until 6.30pm.
Along the journey home in the same bus, Wen Yi was jovial and did not appear to be depressed.
The court heard that a day earlier, Wen Yi sent a text message to another classmate saying he would commit a crime one day and ‘climb to the top of the building and jump down, as a final feat of rebellion and let my craziness be known to the world.”
Wen Yi, who had won two medals in a major competition last year, was well-liked by his classmates, the inquiry heard.
State Coroner Earnest Lau recorded a verdict of suicide on his death on Wednesday.
An additional paragraph from the print edition of Straits Time today, page b4:
His parents were not in court yesterday. Asked why by State Counsel Lee Cheow Han, Staff Sgt Chng said the couple have gone overseas to forget what had happened. They have another child, aged 10.
I think this parents very power, child commit suicide in front of them because of their dictatorship rule, and they are clear-minded enough to go overseas to try to forget about the incident.
Well, everyone has different ways of coping with trauma, just that I find it interesting as this couple’s way of coping with the death of a son is the same as that I will do if my pet dog dies.
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From the article, it didn’t sound like the parents were very domineering. She just didn’t allow her child to change his cca, perhaps in fear that it may be a rash move.
The kid won a medal in running, there’s something to be said there if he stayed on.
The only people who know how hurt the parents are, are they themselves. Perhaps they have put more blame on themselves than you think.
All i’m saying is, don’t judge the parents too harshly, for we don’t really know all the facts.
Hmm I read the article too and I don’t understand how anyone can go overseas to forget a suicide. If it’s me, I think I would be very traumatised because it happened in front of me. Perhaps the reason was untrue? I think I wouldn’t enjoy myself overseas even if I went, if I were them.
i say blame “emo” culture
this incident not that simple la. just read newspaper sure don’t know anything. all i can say is that the parents weren’t much involved in the change of CCA.
Anyways i thought this incident quite some time ago le.
Ok, this is purely speculative, but in my mind I was thinking, if the parents aren’t domineering, the guy wouldn’t commit suicide out of just the mother saying he should not change his cca.
Talent does not always equal to passion. Like writer Douglas Adams, he is very talented, but in his foreword, writes that he hates writing. It is a struggle for him every time and he often took years to complete a book. But his books are fantastic.
I think this kind of things is up to the child to decide. Every decision made for them is one possible learning experience taken away.