By Revathi Manogaran
Jenny and her boyfriend Chang on their first date
KUALA LUMPUR: A mourning friend of Malaysian postgraduate student Jenny, who was said by her friends and the press to have committed suicide last Saturday in Taiwan, believes everything would have been different if she had not gone there.
Reeling in shock from the news, the friend, who only wanted to be known as Keith and was Jenny’s friend since secondary school, said he believed that she might have been suffering from depression with her studies, work and relationship.
The 24-year-old, a first-year postgraduate student at the National Taiwan Normal University, was found dead near some burnt charcoal in her room by a housemate on Saturday evening, according to Taiwan newspapers.
However, Taiwan police have a second thought on the suicide. It could be a murder attempt that led to a suicide. Investigations are being carried out on her housemates and her missing boyfriend who is believed to be on the run now. The body was sent for a postmortem. Police are looking for a suicide note or letter from Jenny that would help in the investigation.
Her boyfriend only known as Chang has been with Jenny for a year and studies at the same university, said Jenny’s housemate, Melinda. He could not be reached for the past couple of days as it is believed that he has switched off his phone.
Upon describing the stability of their relationship, Keith said just like any other relationships, Jenny and Chang had ups and downs. However, he recalled an incident happened a week ago, when they were having some drinks, Chang behaved violently that caused them to leave the area immediately.
“Chang was punching the table and was raising his voice to Jenny. It took a while till we calmed him down and we left the club immediately. Chang insisted on dropping Jenny home but afraid of the circumstances and what just happened, we decided to drop Jenny home together.”
“She worked part-time at the cafe to try to get her own living expenses and college fees,” said Keith.
“She was a very cheerful, happy person. A very nice girl, she liked to bring happiness to people around her. But she liked to hide her own personal things to herself,” said Melinda.
Jenny’s family, through the Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwan Universities in Malaysia, had requested for her body and privacy while they handled her funeral arrangements.
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