|
High rate of suicides at Templer flats
28/07/2008 NST By Patrick Sennyah; Ramesh Pillai
Residents of Templer flats are used to the many suicides near their homes. —
Picture by Owee Ah Chun
SEREMBAN: The Templer flats in Jalan Tun Dr Ismail here are not only an
eyesore, but the site of many suicides.
Built in 1966, the flats are in a dilapidated state and poorly
maintained.
But what worries the residents more is the number of people found dead at
the flats, usually from a fall.
In the last 40 years, more than 40 suicides have happened at the flats,
which are a stone's throw away from a Chinese cemetery.
Residents there wonder why the flats are so "popular".
"Perhaps it is because Templer flats are among the tallest buildings in the
state, after Yayasan Negeri Sembilan and Wisma Persekutuan," said a
resident.
The most recent death reported was on July 2 when a 43-year-old mother was
found dead after calling her son to say she was fed up with life.
Police said the victim, identified as Lim Kim Yoke, was a divorcee from
Taman Permai. They said nobody saw her jump and she could have done it from
any of the 16 floors.
"We are used to people jumping to their death here.
"The people staying here are from the lower income groups and we pay between
RM50 and RM60 in rental a month compared to RM200 a month elsewhere," said a
resident.
Another resident is unhappy that so many suicides are happening right
outside their homes.
"There is no security here and people are free to walk up the stairs. No one
asks them where they are going and we always presume they are here to visit
someone," she said.
She said most of the suicide victims leaped off the top floors and from the
corridors near the stairs which are usually deserted.
"There is an average of two suicide cases every year. It has become so
common that the residents are no longer bothered when they hear of one," she
added.
Some of the deaths that have been reported at Templer flats:
l October 2003: An unidentified woman jumped to her death from the 14th
floor.
• July 2003: An insurance agent, believed to have been suffering from
depression, was found dead near the flats.
• 2002: Yeoh Seok Ching, 51, was found in a pool of blood in a lane behind
the building. She was believed to have plunged to her death from the ninth
floor.
• September 2002: A 58-year-old man, Lee Sang, fell to his death at the
flats. He was said to be suffering from cancer. Lee was a Rela member for
the Taman Kepayang branch.
• January 2002: The body of garbage collector, Low Teng Kiee, 44, was found
beside a garbage collection area by a resident who was out for an evening
stroll. |
