KUALA LUMPUR: Laws criminalising suicide attempts should be abolished said activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
Lee, who is the Mental Health Promotion Advisory Council and Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman, urged the government to review law which stated that it was an offence to commit such an act.
He said the government should consider abolishing Section 309 of the Penal Code as those who have attempted suicide suffered from mental illness and were not criminals.
“They must be given psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation.
“Criminalising depressed persons or those who are mentally sick is inhumane, unthinkable and unacceptable.
“The government and insurance companies must also play their role by ensuring that medical insurance coverage could be extended to psychiatric disorders,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
Citing suicide-by-jumping, Lee said while it was not as common as other cases, it was extremely lethal as 85 per cent of people who jump from high places would die and endanger lives of passers-by.
“Although there is no reliable data on the total number of suicide jumping cases in Malaysia, we could read such stories every month.
“The victims include students who failed in their examination or relationship or adults who faced various issues including stress or financial, family and relationship problems,” he said.
He said all parties must play their role to help reduce the number of suicide cases including those which involve jumping from a building.
He said barriers should be added to stop people from jumping from a building and they should also be considered as a feature in the design of new structures.
“At the same time, more CCTV (closed-circuit television cameras) should also be installed at such buildings while the occupants must also be aware of suicidal people who would normally behaving suspiciously,” he added.
Yesterday, in an apparent suicide attempt, a 49-year-old man stood at the edge of the main corridor barrier in Suria KLCC.
In the 4.50pm incident, the man, who was said to be having debt problems, stood on one leg and held the railing with one hand whenever anyone tried to persuade him.
Personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department and police managed to talked him out of jumping off the railing.