David Widjaja’s senior Zhou Zheng hanged himself; he was seen praying and burning incense papers after Widjaja’s suicide
Translated from Lianhe Wanbao
5 days after NTU student David Widjaja plunged to his death after allegedly stabbing his professor, his senior from the same Division of Electrical and Electronic Engineering was found hanging in the balcony in his apartment at Block 101C Nanyang Heights, where staff and graduate students reside.
Zhou, from Hubei, China, graduated with a Second Class Upper Honours from the NTU’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department in July last year.
He started work with a company right after graduation but was laid off two months later.
After looking for a job for several months, he joined NTU as an infocomm project officer at the university’s School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering on March 2.
The police was alerted last night at 10.42pm by a flatmate who found the deceased hanging in the balcony motionless. He was pronounced dead on arrival by the paramedics. The police has classified the case as an unnatural cause of death.
Before deceased hanged himself, he was often seen burning incense papers at the entrance of his apartment. A foreign couple said they had some impression of the deceased though they do not know him in person.
“The resident of that unit always leave the door open. We often saw him burning incense papers and praying at the entrance.”
Zhou Zheng lived together with a flatmate who is also from China. The flatmate who called the police found the deceased hanging in the balcony at level 4 and was scared stiff on the spot. He quickly carried the deceased down, but felt his body was already cold and without breath.
The deceased hanged himself using a black colored plastic bag. The police found a letter at the scene. The deceased’s family had been informed and they will fly from China to arrange for his funeral.
In a statement released Saturday, NTU said professional counsellors and senior university officers were activated on site to offer support.
EDITORS’ NOTE:
This is another interpretation of the second suicide which is going around in the neighborhood kopitiams. Zhou Zheng may have “seen” the “spirit” of Widjaja hanging around in the laboratory where he worked and was traumatized. That’s why he was seen praying, burning incense papers and leaving the door of his unit open. He may have committed suicide because he was unable to stand the sight of the apparition. According to Chinese folklore, human beings who died violently, prematurely or unjustly often linger around at the place where they spent their last days. They have to be “chao1 du4″ by a Taoist priest within 49 days to soothe their grievances so that they can be reborn into a better realm of existence.
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jean on Sat, 7th Mar 2009 11:28 pm
this gives me the spooks…
RIP RIP
Belva on Sun, 8th Mar 2009 12:11 am
Based on my religion, I don’t believe such that thing.
But If Taoist is correct, The Spirit of Genius should have been smart enough to help us reveal the whole mystery of his death RELATED to Professor, instead of walking around and make people scared.
Keyno on Sun, 8th Mar 2009 3:28 am
From my opinion that ZZ are the witness or maybe he also down in David death Case. Clear that The Professor’s is the real killer. I believe that Singapore is a big Country and will solved this case fairly.
Bro on Sun, 8th Mar 2009 6:27 am
Well the suicide letter would do all the speaking for him. I hope police would spill everything inside it soon, unchanged!
zzzzzz on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 12:24 pm
Where is your myth and fact post?
http://wayangparty.com/?p=6088
Couldn’t visit it anymore?
admin on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 3:17 pm
Hi zzzzz,
Yesterday’s articles were not transferred during the server migration.
We just republish the article here:
http://wayangparty.com/?p=6075
arc on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 5:07 pm
About the Editor’s note, please do not avert the audience with such an irrational comment. Mr Zhou was a grad from NTU and accepted as a lecturer too. Do you think that NTU students and professors are irrationals ? They teach and learn about technology, man. Please make your already good blog a respected one.
kuching on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 6:52 pm
you guys are like bunch of grannies gathering together in gossiping such unfortunate sucide in NTU?…Do somethngs useful lah!…like learning from these two unecessary waste of lifes…why the youngs unable to handle major set back in life?….Young and intelligent..just killed themselves..what
a losers!.
Daniel on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 8:53 pm
I throughly belive that this case had something to do witht he professor..sicne he’s the main man of NTU and what the media had mentioned is totally different from what actually happened..he might be a man of power but truth will still prevaill..I suspect that this guy commited suicide due to a link with the professor..This guy is the only source of evidence on the death Of David
admin on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 10:29 pm
Hi arc,
Thanks for your feedback.
What was posted under the Editors’ note is only one of the many conspiracy theories floating around in the HDB heartlands. It may sound ludicrous to us, but there are many people who buy the story. Our intention is to provide our readers with a different prospective from the ground and not to promote superstition. In fact, we have been making concerted efforts to serve as a bridge between online discussion and kopitiam talk.
Hope that clarifies.
shoestring on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 11:13 pm
Why not keep to facts and dump all the speculation, conspiracy theories, spooky tales, etc., under a separate section labeled the “X-files”?
admin on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 11:30 pm
Hi shoestring,
Thanks for your feedback. It is not a bad idea. Maybe we will consider setting up a “kopitiam talk” section specifically to house all the rumors and speculations on the ground.
awordfromme on Tue, 10th Mar 2009 2:29 am
I wonder if you notice Indonesians are very furious about this incident. Their media has been telling a totally different story to the public, painting a picture that the prof is the killer when they did not even get to talk to the prof or weren’t even at the crime scene. Though I know Singapore media lacks transparency, I don’t think Indonesia news is telling the truth either. Those are just interpretations from their parts. Which beats me why are you even apologizing to them.
Are the 2 cases linked? I do not think so.
I wonder if you read this part.
http://www.omy.sg/News/Local%2BNews/Story/OMYStory200903081545-46523/2.html
He revealed to his friends that he had heart problems before. Could it be like the SIM China student who committed suicide when he found out he has HIV?
Anonymous on Tue, 10th Mar 2009 9:53 pm
singapore government should investigate this incident FAIRLY not just protecting its own people by giving false statement from the beginning and correct it later on! => which i think they did it on purpose.. it’s understandable that NTU is quite popular university, maintaining a good reputation is crucial.. however, justice is beyond everything!.. it’s such an ashamed if the government fails to do what should government does! The truth shall be revealed..
Simon The Saint on Wed, 11th Mar 2009 7:18 pm
Come on Singaporean Wake Up and Shape up
I Insist Ntu and The Government of Singapore and also the Police to give clear statement about this case.
Roumours’ are spreading everywhere
We must consider many times if we want to sent our children to go to school in Singapore.JUSTICE AND TRUTH ARE FOR EVERY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
none on Thu, 12th Mar 2009 2:25 am
to kuching and awordfromme,
we Indonesians’ media may be give a wrong prediction, but it is said as a PREDICTION. It is not like your media that used a CERTAIN words to accuse David as he REALLY stabbed the prof. Of course media should apologize about what they have written. Accusing people when it is still in investigation, is crueler than murder! Be a human!
my friend after the incident went to his guitar club, and his Singaporean clubmates joked ‘Oh, Indonesian! Dont stab me please, dont stab me!’ It is not a funny joke ever.
if you believe that your prof is innocent, just prove it using evidences. no need to blame our media.
none on Thu, 12th Mar 2009 2:54 am
http://wayangparty.com/?p=6075
read the fact, use your brain and heart before you speak up.
awordfromme on Sun, 15th Mar 2009 3:36 am
none,
use your brains. Those are speculations, not facts.
LAW on Mon, 16th Mar 2009 9:34 am
TO awordfromme : I AM NOT A INDONESIAN. BUT I THINK THIS ARTICLE http://wayangparty.com/?p=6075 IS REAL SMART AND THEY ARE USING THE CORRECT WORDS IN THE WHOLE ARTICLE. YOU ARE SO STUBBORN, awordfromme !!!!
CAN I HAVE A QUESTION ? WHAT IS YOUR HIGHEST EDUCATION ? I GUEST AT LEAST YOU HAVE DIPLOMA ???? IF MY GUEST IS TRUE. NOTHING TO SAY MORE ABOUT YOUR SMART ?
YOUR MEDIA IS REALLY Said some untrue facts about David ?
LAW on Mon, 16th Mar 2009 9:40 am
TO awordfromme : Can you tell me that your media said all about the truth and they said nothing wrong and all of these thingS they said are the fact or speculation ?
Most of things from media are ONLY speculationS but they never using the word “BELIEVED” or something like this.
SHAME ON YOUR MEDIA. AND they HAVE NEVER SAY “SORRY”. WHAT IS THE GRACIOUSNESS THIS CASE ????????
awordfromme on Wed, 18th Mar 2009 5:33 am
LAW,
your guess has proven you do terrible in guessing and comprehending. Are you not Indonesian? Your English has given you away.
Wayang party has reported based on speculations TOO to please the Indonesian crowd. However, none of these are considered facts for they did not obtain them from the scene of the crime or from the police. How are they called “Facts”? Please read up on the meaning of “facts”.
Shame on you for getting personal instead of speaking the truth.
liu_w2n on Fri, 20th Mar 2009 1:33 pm
i just know & read this news. But i just can says, sorry pity what this happen in NTU. B
iamindonesian on Fri, 20th Mar 2009 11:46 pm
awordfromme,
Deep down inside your heart, after you’ve read all posts and/or chronology of david’s death, don’t you find that there are some odds about it? You said that wayangparty only give speculations and not fact, but i don’t see you’re giving any facts “either”. Anyway, i also hope that you’re not making this issue personal.
LAW on Thu, 26th Mar 2009 1:11 pm
to awordfromme,
I want to tell you the truth about my education. I always is the top 5 student in my undergraduate class. and i got a master degree in NTU.
What can you expect more ? How about your education ?
top 5 student in your class ?
May be my English is not good but the english and smart level is very different, right ?
Truly Disgusted on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 11:35 am
To LAW:
I believe this issue has nothing to do with education level and I truly think you are making this issue very personal. Be it Indonesian or Singaporean, we do feel for the deceased and would like truth to come out to light. But this senseless comment about “smart level” and education level truly disgust me.
Are you telling me only people like you who are “top 5 student in undergraduate class” can think? anyone lower than that is stupid or dumb? This is discrimination!
Hey, grow up and stop being childish!
unknown on Sat, 4th Apr 2009 3:46 am
Freaking case.. I don’t believe that david and zz are suicide. There’s something like conspiracy or else.. and they were killed. Just waiting for the truth..