The Judiciary Police were notified by the Fire Services Bureau (CB) yesterday that a 26-year-old local man had committed suicide by burning charcoal in his flat in Hoi Pan Garden on Estrada Marginal da Areia Preta that morning, PJ spokesman Chan Wun Man said in a statement.
The deceased, surnamed Im, lived in the flat with his mother, the statement noted.
According to the statement, the deceased’s mother received a call at 9 a.m. yesterday and was informed that her son had not turned up for work, so she immediately returned to the flat and found her son lying on his bed and several containers containing charcoal around the room. Suspecting that her son had committed suicide, she called the police.
Fire Services Bureau paramedics arrived at the scene and confirmed that Im had passed away, the statement said, adding that five vessels containing charcoal were found on the floor of the victim’s bedroom. However, only one of the vessels contained charcoal ash.
The statement pointed out that no signs of fighting or a burglary were found at the scene.
Upon examination of the body, no suspicious injuries were found either, the statement added.
Besides, no suicide note was found in the room.
According to the statement, the Judiciary Police have classified the case as a dead body found. The statement added that the cause of death still needed to be confirmed by forensic examination.
Health Bureau records 19 suicides in Q2
Meanwhile, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement yesterday that Macau recorded 19 suicides – 12 males and seven females – in the second quarter of this year, of which 17 were local residents and two were non-local residents.
The statement noted that the total number of reported suicides was down by nine cases, or 32 percent, from the first quarter of this year.
According to the statement, the most common causes of suicide were chronic, physical and mental illnesses, gambling issues, and financial problems.
The bureau said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has persisted for more than two years and the unstable pandemic situation in neighbouring regions that have been affected by repeated outbreaks, people in Macau “inevitably” manifest different degrees of psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, and stress.
In response to the pandemic, the bureau urged people to maintain a healthy lifestyle, such as a balanced diet, enough sleep, and adequate physical exercise, as well as to reduce their alcohol intake and refrain from smoking.
The statement underlined that some of the bureau’s public health centres, such as in Praça do Tap Seac and in Seac Pai Van in Coloane, as well as several community associations are offering mental health consultations.
The bureau urged all those suffering from emotional distress and feeling hopelessness can also call Macau Caritas’s Life Hope Hotline 28525222 for emotional counselling services.
Image courtesy of The Gleaner
