| James Kon |
THE Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) was alarmed to record three suicide cases that resulted in fatalities in the previous week including that of a 13-year-old local girl.
In a press conference held yesterday to address the issue, Assistant Commissioner of Police Pengiran Haji Mohd Jefri bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Hamid, Acting Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the RBPF, expressed concern over the occurrence of three cases within a week.
Also present at the press conference at the CID were Senior Superintendent of Police Haji Mohd Fadzillah bin Haji Ismail, Acting Deputy Director of the CID; Superintendent of Police Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Ghani, Acting Officer Commanding Police District (OCPD) of Brunei-Muara; and Superintendent of Police Suhairi bin Haji Sukri, Officer Commanding Police District of Tutong.
According to Superintendent of Police Suhairi bin Haji Sukri, “The first suicide case took place on February 14, 2018. The police received information through the police emergency hotline 993 about a woman who was found hanging on a tree in Kampong Kupang, Tutong. The victim, a 48-year-old Indonesian named Samiati, was working as a waitress for more than two years at a restaurant in Kampong Kupang.”
Investigation found that the victim hanged herself with a rope behind her workplace. From her colleagues and based on information from mobile phones, it was found that the victim had a debt which stressed her, hence she chose to end her life.
Superintendent of Police Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam revealed the report of the tragic death of the 13-year-old local girl, also on February 14.
He said, “The case was recorded on 9.50am after the police received information about the victim who was brought by family members to the hospital where she was confirmed dead. From the investigation, it was found that the girl hanged herself using a bed sheet which was tied to the ceiling fan, in one of the rooms of her home.
Investigation revealed that the victim committed suicide due to disappointment in a relationship. It is a tragic incident as it involved a very young victim.”
The third case of suicide was reported on February 16 through the police emergency hotline 993. The case involved a 35-year-old Indonesian man named Sukar who cut his stomach with a cutter in the ladies’ toilet on the first floor of The Mall, Gadong.
Superintendent of Police Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam said, “When the police arrived at the scene, the victim was still cutting his guts and in a weak state. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment, but unfortunately died a few days later.”
Investigations carried out on the victim’s friends, who were out with the victim on the same day of the incident, found nothing out of the ordinary. They only said that the victim was not talking much in the past two days. A search conducted at the residing place of the victim found an article that is against ‘Aqidah’, or belief.
The police official reminded the public that attempting suicide is an offence in the country under Section 309, Chapter 22 of the Penal Code which carries a punishment of one year imprisonment, a fine, or both.
According to statistics from 2014-2017, the Royal Brunei Police Force has recorded 35 suicide cases – six cases in 2014, eight each in 2015 and 2016 and 13 in 2017.
Twenty-six out of the 35 cases involved foreigners and majority of the victims are males (30).
According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Pengiran Haji Mohd Jefri, “Based on assessment done on the cases, it was found that some of the victims experienced depression over debts, household problems and faced with heavy punishment.
“What is most worrying is that there were unknown reasons for two of the victims to commit suicide and their family members said they did not notice anything out of the ordinary before the incident”.
In light of the worrying rise in suicide cases, the acting director of the Criminal Investigation Department urged the local community to work together to identify and help anyone, especially family members, who show suicidal behaviour and bring them to the hospital or a health clinic.
According to the Mental Health Order 2014, examination can be carried out on any individuals who have mental disorder without any court’s order.
He advised parents to always give serious attention to the actions and behaviour of their family members, especially children, “because if detected early, the incident may be prevented”.
He also urged employers to send their foreign workers who are believed to be suffering from depression or mental health problems to nearby clinics.
It is also important for teachers to understand the signs of depression so that they can refer students to the school counsellor to get help.
Teachers can help address the mental health issues of students and stop them from developing suicidal thoughts when faced with problems that are hard to tackle.
Lastly, he stressed on having strong religious faith in the family which he said is very important and must be strongly emphasised.
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