Tweet
Teens' last moments
By Elena Chong & Carolyn Quek
A SELF-PROFESSED temple medium was prepared to jump out of his bedroom window alone when he saw his friends hesitating behind him.
In the early hours of Aug 23 last year, Ku Witaya, 16, told his friends he was not forcing them to do anything. He added that those who wanted to go should 'just go'. That was when Sia Chan Hong, whom he had known since primary school days, volunteered to leap off the ninth-storey window ledge with him.
Although the two Tampines Secondary School students hesitated at first, they counted to three and jumped to their deaths. One of their friends who had hesitated, a 13-year-old, heard them say 'see you later' as they fell into the night.
Their final moments early that morning were pieced together in a coroner's court on Tuesday when their close friends - who entered into a suicide pact with Witaya but later backed out - testified. They told the court how close they were to Witaya, and how they attended weekly rituals at his Jalan Damai flat, where he would go into a trance.
A month before the tragedy, they said, Witaya was in such a trance when he told the group that a world war was coming, and that they had to die in order to be resurrected as slayers who would save the world from demonic attacks.
At a barbecue hours before the tragedy, Witaya repeated his desire for them to die together. The group later left the barbecue and headed to Witaya's flat. There, he asked if they were prepared to commit suicide. Only Chan Hong and two others said yes. The rest stood silent.
The court was told on Tuesday that Witaya had planned to carry out the suicide pact from the rooftop of the block, but could not gain access to it. The group then returned to his bedroom to carry out the act. Witaya's father and other members of the family were asleep in the flat at the time.
Testifying in a halting voice on Tuesday, the witness said he asked Witaya if there was another way to solve the problem, instead of suicide. But Witaya said no. He said the easiest way to go was by jumping from the block 'two at a time'. It was then that the pact began to come apart.
First, one of the seven boys in the group broke down in tears and backed out. Others then began to have second thoughts and hesitated. After a delay of about an hour, Witaya decided to go ahead with his plan, and jumped off the window ledge with Chan Hong shortly after 4am. Hearing cries from below, the witness said he ran downstairs with his 18-year- old cousin.
They found Chan Hong lying on the ground, writhing in pain. They called the police, and the boy was taken to hospital, but died about three hours later. State Coroner Victor Yeo will deliver his findings next Wednesday.
By Elena Chong & Carolyn Quek
A SELF-PROFESSED temple medium was prepared to jump out of his bedroom window alone when he saw his friends hesitating behind him.
In the early hours of Aug 23 last year, Ku Witaya, 16, told his friends he was not forcing them to do anything. He added that those who wanted to go should 'just go'. That was when Sia Chan Hong, whom he had known since primary school days, volunteered to leap off the ninth-storey window ledge with him.
Although the two Tampines Secondary School students hesitated at first, they counted to three and jumped to their deaths. One of their friends who had hesitated, a 13-year-old, heard them say 'see you later' as they fell into the night.
Their final moments early that morning were pieced together in a coroner's court on Tuesday when their close friends - who entered into a suicide pact with Witaya but later backed out - testified. They told the court how close they were to Witaya, and how they attended weekly rituals at his Jalan Damai flat, where he would go into a trance.
A month before the tragedy, they said, Witaya was in such a trance when he told the group that a world war was coming, and that they had to die in order to be resurrected as slayers who would save the world from demonic attacks.
At a barbecue hours before the tragedy, Witaya repeated his desire for them to die together. The group later left the barbecue and headed to Witaya's flat. There, he asked if they were prepared to commit suicide. Only Chan Hong and two others said yes. The rest stood silent.
The court was told on Tuesday that Witaya had planned to carry out the suicide pact from the rooftop of the block, but could not gain access to it. The group then returned to his bedroom to carry out the act. Witaya's father and other members of the family were asleep in the flat at the time.
Testifying in a halting voice on Tuesday, the witness said he asked Witaya if there was another way to solve the problem, instead of suicide. But Witaya said no. He said the easiest way to go was by jumping from the block 'two at a time'. It was then that the pact began to come apart.
First, one of the seven boys in the group broke down in tears and backed out. Others then began to have second thoughts and hesitated. After a delay of about an hour, Witaya decided to go ahead with his plan, and jumped off the window ledge with Chan Hong shortly after 4am. Hearing cries from below, the witness said he ran downstairs with his 18-year- old cousin.
They found Chan Hong lying on the ground, writhing in pain. They called the police, and the boy was taken to hospital, but died about three hours later. State Coroner Victor Yeo will deliver his findings next Wednesday.
Comment