Everyone have their fair share of Monday blues, let alone this Monday, the first day after the one-week mid semester break in Nanyang Technological University (that’s where I’m currently pursuing my major). Someone didn’t take it well – a final-year undergraduate student stabbed an information engineering professor in the back with a knife and later leaped to his death at 10.30am.
A personal account
I remembered that our supposedly two-hour-long lecture ended early today – shortly an hour after it started. Mingyun, Marianne, Cho Yee and I had McDonalds and Subway for breakfast at around 9.45am. We chatted a little and headed for the library at around 10.30am, the time the incident occured. A couple of minutes into our studying schedule, Cho Yee informed us that there was a fatal stabbing incident on campus that just happened. The police and paramedics were there too, as another friend sent a mass SMS around.
The first thing that flashed across my mind was a knife-yielding student went berserk on campus, slashing everyone in his sight and one of his victim was so seriously injured that he/she died of inflicted wounds or blood loss. When I was informed that there was only one victim and it was a professor, the hairs on my back stood – the professor died of the stabbing?
It wasn’t until later in the afternoon that the local online community was boiling over with posts about the incident – David Hartanto Widjaja, a final-year undergraduate of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, seriously wounded an information engineering professor, Prof Chan Kap Luk, by stabbing him in the back. Professor Chan defended himself with his hands (thus explaning the lacerations on his hand when he was checked by paramedics), David then fled to the sixth story (Level B1) of the S1 wing at South Spine, slit his wrist and leaped to his death. The marker on the map below shows the approximate locaiton of the scene:
From Channel News Asia, one of the first online newspaper that reported on the stabbing incident:
SINGAPORE: A final-year engineering student at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) jumped from a campus block after stabbing a professor on Monday morning.
The professor was in his office at the engineering faculty when the student stabbed him in the back with a knife, leaving him injured.
After stabbing the professor, the male student – who was in his 20s – slit his wrists and jumped off a five-storey building.
…
David Hartanto Widjaja was a former president of the NTU Electronic Sports Club.
Professor Chan, a Singaporean in his 40s, was sent to the National University Hospital for treatment and is said to be in a stable condition.
The professor has been with NTU’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering since June 1992.
Professor Chan, who is Deputy Director of the Biomedical Engineering Research Centre at NTU, is said to have been the supervisor of the student in a project.
There are photos of the scene by Desmond Lim from Straits Times Singapore (thanks Chong for the link), but I’m not going to post any of the photos here. You might find some of the photos disturbing, so you’ve been warned.
Upon further investigation, I realised that Prof Chan is the supervisor of David’s final year project, titled “Multiview acquisition from Multi-camera configuration for person adaptive 3D Display“. Given that the final year projects for the final-year undergradutes are due in a week’s time or so, it’s not surprising that tension and pressure are mounting on the senior students – but what exactly triggered the Kamikaze-like attack was still largely unknown. A big question mark still hovers above the confusion and fear among the campus population.
Leaving library at 7pm, had dinner with Chong in Canteen A. As I waited for Chong to arrive, almost every single conversation around me revolved around the stabbing – what exaclty happened, what people think might have triggered the berserky behavior and etc. I headed over to the newstand – the local evening paper has red, bolded headlines screaming for attention – Fatal Stabbing Incident in NTU leaves one dead (translated from Chinese). I was immediately reminded how efficient the propagation of information had become nowadays – Chong told me over our dinner that his dad called him at around 12pm – that’s less than two hours after the incident, and his dad is not in Singapore but in Malaysia. He advised his son to be careful and not to get involved in the incident whatsoever – I can imagine the confusion and fear a parent will have. I expect tomorrow’s newspaper headlines will be all about this stabbing incident. I wonder what the reporters will write about it.
As I took the shuttle bus back to my dorm in the evening, the bus was again filled with news, speculations and probably untrue accounts of the stabbing incident. As I walked back to my room, I still can’t come to terms with the fact that someone actually died in my university, from a suicide, after nearly fatally stabbing a professor.
Bregitt’s mom even called her that she shouldn’t visit the accident site because David’s ghost will linger around the area until he gets seven people to replace him, as according to Chinese beliefs. I’m not sure how true is this, but well, it’s logical to avoid the place. I don’t want to be reminded that the spot is where David, an Indonesian Chinese, decided that his life is worthless. Perhaps he was haunted by the fact that he will be prosecuted, or is it a planned act executed the way he wanted? Nobody knows for sure.
Later in the night I rang home, and to my surprise (and relief) that my parents have not heard of the incident. Had my mom knew about it, she would have freaked out and start spam-calling my phone. She asked what I think about the incident and I told her that I wasn’t very much bothered by it, but it’s a shame that one squandered his life over a possible disagreement or row with his supervisor. Or did he succumd to stress? I’m not making any conclusions here, until the whole situation gets clearer.
Although not as serious as the mass killing of innocent students on university campus, such as the Virginia Tech massacre, the incident still send chills down my spine. It’s an isolated incident, I hope that I can get over it as soon as possible.
Just like how Eli puts it, suicide is “nothing more than the most selfish form of complaining ever invented by the juvenile mind.”
What people are saying
Some people blamed on the high level of stress an undergraduate student experiences – I have to agree with that. University isn’t as dreamy as I heard from anecdotal accounts and expected. It’s still a busy life – you’ve got loads of tutorials to do, projects to rush, lectures to catch up and if you’re intending to live on campus, get enough points to stay in the hall of residence. I do feel very stressed out certain times but never did I think of stabbing a professor in the back and then leaping to my own death. I’m speaking from the perspective of a first-year undergraduate though – I’ve heard that the commitments, responsibilites and requirements get exponentially greater and harder to deal with as we move on to the next academic year.
A blogger at WayangParty.com gave a detailed account of the incident, and even included a forum posting from my university’s Chinese society forum. David was wearing a dark tee and beige shorts. When he plumetted to his death, the gardeners and passerbys inspected him for a pulse. He was pronounce dead on the scene by paramedics who arrived later.
At the time of posting, Prof Chan had undergone an emergency surgery and is currently medically stable. Get well soon, prof. My deepest condolences to David’s family, Prof Chan and his family and whoever who are deeply affected by the incident.
Suicidal case often relates to stress. But could it be the lecturer was putting to much pressure on him? Maybe often diss him class? Gosh, what a waste of talent.
This is some serious case. I dare not blurt my brain anymore.
ps: The pics, not so disturbing.
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@NoktahHitam: At first I suspected that it was the FYP (due next week) that pushed him over the edge – then it was revealed in news reports that his results took a dip and his scholarship was terminated. His FYP didn’t seem to be going well as well, and he might have mistaken the professor to be the one who terminated his scholarship, or might have even seen him as an easy target to vent his anger.
p/s: Sorry for the late reply – I waited for more details to be released so that I will not be making generalized/sweeping statements regarding the incident.
Wow Teddy, that’s some pretty freaky stuff especially having it happen so close to home. Luckily it wasn’t one of those insane student killers who tries to shoot everyone on campus. *knock on wood*
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@Katy: I was relieved that it was an isolated incident – he had a target in mind (most probably, or else where did the knife came from) and didn’t went on a rampage stabbing anyone that came near him. It’s scary that someone actually committed manslaughter in my school (if he wasn’t dead, he might have been charged with that crime)… and worse still, he ended his own life. It could have transpired into something more serious.
p/s: Sorry for the late reply – I waited for more details to be released so that I will not be making generalized/sweeping statements regarding the incident.
Hi Terry,
May I seek your permission to republish your well-thought article on our blog with a link to yours ?
Zhi Yuan
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hmmm very sad news indeed…its just such a waste of a human life and if its just for the final project to graduate…its so extremely not worthwhile….passing and getting a degree is important but its definitely not everything at all…there will be much more and bigger challenges in life
imagine the heartache that will be experience by their family and friends…all hope gone in flash
@med: Yeap. While putting aside the wastage of the past 3.5 years working hard on his studies in university, he also terminated his own life – the ultimate squander. Suicide does end your woes, but it will only bring more distress to people dearest to you. It’s not worth it.
I’m still shocked that this incident happened at NTU. University school life is too stressful, but I guess everyone must find their way to de-stress. Maybe the school should have some sort of activities for the students to take a break before going back to their studies. It’s sad that another life had been lost just like this. :(
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@Dayna: Me too. I can’t believe that such a violent incident actually happened on campus. It was indeed a stressful period of the year for final year undergraduates – they have the FYP to complete and have to prepare for the presentation of their projects (as far as I’ve heard, it’s not easy). Combined with the fact that David’s scholarship was terminated one month before the incident and that he might have problem comprehending certain situations (like how he mistakenly thought that he was placed in charge of the whole lecture group instead of his own tutorial group), it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
I feel sad that David chose to end his own life. He shouldn’t. Even if he was prosecuted for his crime, he could still turn over a new leaf later in his life.
p/s: Sorry for the late reply – I waited for more details to be released so that I will not be making generalized/sweeping statements regarding the incident.
[...] Source: http://www.teddy-o-ted.com/food-for-thought/aftermath-stabbing-incident-ntu/ [...]
As a parent, I’m totally sorry to hear that. My deepest condolences to David’s family and friends. It shouldn’t have happened; it is an valuable experience for the lecturers and Institutions. Hopefully it will never happen again.
@Linda: Thanks for the comment, Linda. As a student myself, I was a little distraught and in shock after hearing about the incident. My heart goes out to David’s family and fiends, as well as the professor.
David escaped the built-in system of counseling distraught students, most probably because he kept to himself largely and indulged in the world of gaming (not that it’s a bad thing, but we shouldn’t use it as a substitute for social interactions). His online friends have painted a different picture of David, for being talkative and joyful.
p/s: Sorry for the late reply – I waited for more details to be released so that I will not be making generalized/sweeping statements regarding the incident.
I was shocked too when I saw your post in my feedreader. Thank God nobody else was hurt, and that nothing like what you imagined actually happened (the one guy crazy go slash many random people scenario).
Now my only fear is that this act will cause a tipping point, and give other stressed, unstable people the same idea.
=S
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@Eli James: Yea, luckily it was an isolated incident. No other bystanders were hurt. David didn’t harm anyone else except himself and the professor. My imaginations tend to run a little wild sometimes (and after reading so many past tales of campus massacres), and I was really preparing for the worst when I first caught wind of the news.
Indeed, my friends were wondering whether this incident will trigger similar attacks in the future. I hope it doesn’t – it’s a valuable lesson to be learned.
p/s: Sorry for the late reply – I waited for more details to be released so that I will not be making generalized/sweeping statements regarding the incident.
oh gosh oh gosh. the smartness in me wanted to see some pictures and clicked on that link and.. ewwwww blood on the door handle. thats. disgusting and equally freaky.
eesh i need to remind myself, when someone says pictures are disturbing, i shouldnt view them. aiks!
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@sue: There is another unnerving photo (the bloodied body of David in full view when the police lifted the tent) but I’m glad that the photographer didn’t include it in the gallery. I respect the dead, no matter what they’ve done.
God that’s scary O_O
My teacher once described her Uni life in Singapore as a stressful ‘rat race’. She was so pissed off that she actually acted like a total bad-ass student during her interview for a place in the uni. She got a place in the end though :P Though this incident was about 10-20 years back.
I personally don’t know how studying is like over there since different countries have different education systems. My friend was offered a scholarship to study in NUS a few years ago but after going there for a while, he couldn’t cope with the stress and so returned back to Brunei.
Anyways, thank goodness not many got injured in the incident. It would be scary to imagine someone going crazy and stabbing people one by one. Condolences to the families of the affected.
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@Aki: I’m not sure of the situations in other universities, but exchange students that are studying in my university did tell me that they find the university life here rather stressful. Everyone is on this massive social treadmill, chasing after something that is tantalizingly close but maddeningly far. Some people will even go great lengths to make sure they outcompete others in the mad rat race. It’s deep in the mindset of the people – getting excellent grades, beautifully-written testimonials, colourful CCA records are the only way to success. No.
I’ve also got friends who came to Singapore to further their studies but decided to give up midway because they couldn’t handle the stress. I’ve been living in Singapore for 7 years (and counting), and I must say that even in secondary schools, the feeling is very different from what one will experience in an average secondary school in neighbouring countries.
p/s: Sorry for the late reply – I waited for more details to be released so that I will not be making generalized/sweeping statements regarding the incident.
Very sad – especially for Dan’s parents and family. While prof Chan is probably not at fault , I hope the univ. administrators look at how faculty members handle student projects. Expectations for students are high and faculty members should be sensitive to pressures student feel – but hard for anyone but the student to measure. Very upsetting for you and others on campus as we don’t expect violence to come into our personal space. Peace !
@Bob: Professor Chan most probably didn’t say anything wrong, but David might have misintepreted him. David might have been very upset about the termination of the scholarship and thought the professor was responsible for the termination.
The problem in Singapore is that, many people who are the leaders of us are also the ones who are on the rat race. They couldn’t empower themselves to make a change, let alone us :( we need a change in our attitude, deep-rooted in the Singapore culture as a result of competitiveness.
That’s such a sad incident to hear and to have to experience especially at a facility where you are earning your education and degree. Unfortunately, in Asia the suicide incidents pertaining to school is a lot higher than North America.
I went through high school with someone being murdered on school campus and it was a heavy ordeal as well… though it wasn’t for school related matters but still it’s a huge affect on the community and the students as well.
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@Destiny: I’ve heard that the suicide rates in South Korea and Japan are even more shocking. It’s kind of deep-rooted in the Asian culture that to be successful, you must be in the top rung of your cohort or generation. That is the one and only way. Everyone is in a rat race. Nobody wants to lose out because people around him/her are also trying just too hard pursuing something maddeningly far.
I’m sorry to hear about the death of a high school ex-schoolmate, it must have affected you greatly. Just like how the person’s death affected your community, this incident had a pronounced effect on mine as well :( I just hope it will not repeat itself in the future.
We have so many things that lie ahead of us. Why would one end his life?
OMG TEddy check this out. Lol
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_345308.html
Ok, everyone assume that David brought the knife
And if he really had brought the knife, then he must had planned well how to kill someone…
I’m confused why the professor just get two weak stabs (may be he is a high level kungfu master), and he left the hospital just after two days (if I’m not mistaken)..
Anyway, if I really want to make the professor suffer for his entire life, but not killing him, I’d stab at his vital organs..
And also there are still a lot of speculations out there..
I’m not sure that he commit suicide..
@Gostev: Personally I advice against making assumptions of what happened (there wasn’t any official reports on that), but you’re entitled to your own opinions. Since the incident had already taken place, I hope that people will stop speculating about what happened.
What exactly took place in Prof Chan’s office that day remains unclear. The reasons why, a dozen of them.
RIP, David.
@Gostev: Yes, people should be aware of other assumptions.
@teddY: Personally, I see many “facts” reported in the media as some kind of assumptions too. It is possible that there are knives in offices. I know of researchers who have the habit of eating fruits without skin, and so they have knives at their work desk for pealing fruit skin. Keep an open mind.
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@Back2Nature: Hmmmm, you’ve got a point there, but as far as I know, the suspected weapon doesn’t seem to look like a fruit knife. There is a possibility that he might have grabbed the knife from a kitchenette that I am yet to know of in the office though.
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