S'pore PR found dead in US

Singaporean friends paid tribute to a permanent resident who may have died of alcohol poisoning over the weekend in Los Angeles.

Mr Thu Yain Kyaw, 22, a second-year business administration student at the University of Southern California (USC), was found dead in his apartment by his roommates on Sunday night.

Local police said that Mr Kyaw, who was also known as Roy, was last seen by his friends last Friday, reported USC's online news site Neon Tommy.

The Los Angeles Police Department cites acute alcohol toxicity as a preliminary cause of death but an autopsy has not yet been performed, reported NBC News.

The death of Mr Kyaw, who had studied at St Andrew's Junior College and Ang Mo Kio Secondary School, was met with shock and grief.

PRAISE

His JC classmate, marketing executive Sophia Lau, 23, praised him for being a gentleman and a nice person.

She said: "Other boys would walk out and not wait for the girls, but he would always wait for us and hold the doors open for us.

"Despite being a student councillor and involved in a lot of school activities, he would always find time to tutor me in my studies and provide a listening ear when I needed one."

His best friend of 10 years, National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduate Maurice Chia, 22, said Mr Kyaw was the life of the party and a pillar of support for their group of friends.

"We shared the same lame humour and love teasing people, for good fun. He took on the role of a big brother and was always there for all of us," said Mr Chia.

Mr Kyaw was also a 3rd Sergeant in the Singapore Armed Forces, said his Facebook profile.

NUS undergraduate Gan Guo Wei, 22, a section commander from his platoon, remembered Mr Kyaw as a positive and upbeat person.

"Though times in an infantry unit were tough, he never complained and always kept us going, although he was carrying one of the heaviest loads in the platoon. I am glad I had a friend like him."

In a statement to the school newspaper, Mr James G. Ellis, dean of USC's Marshall School Of Business, said: "Roy was a sophomore from Singapore, an outstanding Marshall student who made a positive impact among his friends, fellow students, and faculty."

Mr Kyaw's death came after a spate of alcohol-related incidents on campus, which resulted in a ban of weekday fraternity parties.

The assistant dean of student affairs had called the Oct 12 weekend "the worst weekend of the semester," after seven people were taken to the hospital for drinking too much alcohol.

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