Hong Kong model live streams suicide attempt on Facebook

Hong Kong model live streams suicide attempt on Facebook

An attractive Hong Kong model broadcast her suicide attempt to a live audience on Facebook in the early hours yesterday (Jan 16), showing the plunge in the final cliff-hanging moments.

An incoherent and distraught-looking Ng Shuk Yi, 28, talked about her personal problems for nearly an hour before climbing over the railing at a warehouse waterfront in Kowloon and jumped into the water, reported Apple Daily.

Well-known as YoYo, Ng is a freelance model with HKBC Media and has a Facebook following of nearly 9,500.

Despite persuasion from some Facebook users, who were still awake in the wee hours of the morning, Ng persisted in taking her own life because she was facing hard times and "hated herself".

Thankfully, the police, a civil defence team and a colleague rushed to the scene on time. She survived the suicide attempt after she was pulled out of the water by firefighters.

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The model, who is married to someone named Icy Yeung according to her Facebook page, was rushed to the hospital.

From the hospital bed this morning, she went live on Facebook again, this time to apologise for her behaviour, adding that she had consumed alcohol before the incident.

She also said in the video that the doctor told her she had hypothermia, so could not be discharged immediately.

She added: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, but I really forgot what happened."

Her suicide video had been removed from her Facebook page.

There has been a disturbing trend of people posting their suicide attempts or announcing their decision to do so on social media in recent years in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

An alarming number of university students leaving suicide-related messages on Facebook groups has prompted calls for the Hong Kong government to change its counselling methods, reported The South China Morning Post last year.

Last year, a 19-year-old woman killed herself by throwing herself in front of a moving train in Paris and streamed the act live on Periscope.

The French woman sent a text to one of her friends several minutes before her death. She also made statements to Internet users via the Periscope application to explain her act.

A Chinese teenager was more fortunate - he was saved after posting live feed of his suicide attempt by letting a pet cobra bite him, along with details of his home address and a suicide note.

The online community responded immediately to the live video feed by alerting the police.

chenj@sph.com.sg

HELPLINES
Samaritans of Singapore (SOS): 1800-2214444
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-2837019
Sage Counselling Centre: 1800-5555555
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