A 13-year-old girl has died after falling from her school building in Kuala Lumpur (KL), prompting shock and sorrow among those who knew her.
None more so than her father, who has poured his heart out in a series of grief-stricken posts on Facebook.
Source: Facebook
The Form 1 student fell from the eighth floor of Kuen Cheng High School at about 6pm on Tuesday (1 Oct), Malaysia’s China Press quoted the local police as saying.
Brickfields police chief Ku Mashariman Ku Mahmood said she passed away at the scene.
Source: China Press
Before the incident, she appeared cheerful and talkative in class. Her elder brother, who studies in the same school, reportedly burst into tears upon hearing the news.
Kuen Cheng High School confirmed the death of one of its students “with deep sadness” in a statement on the same day.
Source: Google Maps
Pointing to “unverified information” over social media, the school urged parents, students, and staff to refrain from spreading it, saying:
Kindly join us in honoring the privacy of the family and the memory of the deceased.
The school is cooperating fully with the official investigation, which is in progress, it added.
Assistant Commissioner Ku Mashariman described the case as one of “sudden death”.
He was quoted by Sin Chew Daily as saying that the police have ruled out emotional disputes or family problems.
Source: Sin Chew Daily
However, he believed that the girl chose to end her life due to academic pressures.
Furthermore, the girl reportedly posted a livestream on social media shortly before her death.
China Press reported that she was crying bitterly in the video.
Source: China Press
Speaking in English, she thanked her friends and said she loved them and just wanted to say goodbye.
It is understood that a teacher who saw her standing on the ledge had used the school’s address system to tell her to get down, but arrived too late to stop her.
On 2 Oct, the girl’s father, surnamed Leong, shared details of her funeral service on Facebook, along with a short message to his daughter.
She leaves behind her parents, two sisters, and a brother, who will “be strong and live on”, he said.
Source: Facebook
The next day, however, Mr Leong said he couldn’t sleep for two days as he was “heartbroken”.
Source: Facebook
Sharing photos of his daughter, he said he seemed strong on the surface but he’s actually “fragile” and he “couldn’t hold it in any longer”.
He also talked about how much he missed her, including her smile, and lamented how she did not tell her family about her problems and begged her to “come home”.
Source: Facebook
He said this had taught him to vocalise his love, but her life was “too high a price” to pay for this lesson.
He also apologised to her, saying:
Daddy was wrong, I’m sorry, I love you, please forgive me.
On Friday (4 Oct), just before the funeral, Mr Leong told his daughter to embark happily on her final journey.
Source: Facebook
The funeral procession, which took place on Friday morning, drew about 200 schoolmates, teachers, friends, and family members, reported ILifePost.
Source: ILifePost 爱生活 on Facebook
That night, Mr Leong posted again, thanking those who attended.
Source: Facebook
However, he was left with lingering questions over his daughter’s death.
After his family had rested and calmed themselves, he invited netizens to join a livestream to discuss why his daughter decided to end his life.
Helplines are available for those struggling with mental health issues.
Also read: Opinion: More Of Us Think About Suicide Than We Admit, Here’s Why We Shouldn’t Keep Quiet
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and Google Maps.
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