SIBU: A male Malaysian student at a university in Taiwan reportedly died from an apparent suicide last Saturday (May 8).
According to a report in a local Chinese news portal, the 20-year-old from here is said to have jumped from the eighth floor of the university building around 3.30pm.
The portal said the victim was a student majoring in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at National Taipei University of Technology.
“The victim went up to the eighth floor of the building and jumped off.
“Police in Taiwan have ruled out external factors in causing the victim’s death,” the portal was quoted as saying on its social media page on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Sarawak Taiwan Graduates’ Association Sibu branch chairman Lawrence Tiong when contacted, said the victim is believed to be under extraordinary pressure which prompted him to end his life.
Earlier, the victim had told his mother that he wanted to go back (to Malaysia) to rest. He then requested permission from the university to go home.
He added that the victim was supposed to depart for Kuala Lumpur on Saturday because his flight ticket had been booked.
However, Tiong explained, the student was not allowed to go home because he did not undergo the compulsory Covid-19 examination.
“The frustration of not being able to return home had worsened his mental condition, which is believed to have led to the action,” he said.
Tiong said the association was arranging visas and due process for the victim’s mother and sister to fly to Taiwan to claim the victim’s body.
“We have applied for a special pass for the victim’s mother and sister to fly to Taiwan without having to undergo quarantine for two weeks,” he said, adding that the victim’s father had died in 2013.
