Source: The Straits Times

A HOME-TRAINED, self-professed Taoist medium, all of 16 years old, convinced six teenagers including his brother to enter into a suicide pact.

Ku Witaya had them in thrall to his theory that the world was coming to an end, and that to save it, they had to “sacrifice” themselves.

But when it came to carrying out the pact on Aug 23, only he and his close friend, Sia Chan Hong, saw it through by leaping out of the ninth floor bedroom window of his home.

The other five came to their senses when they saw Witaya dead and heard Chan Hong, 16, moaning at the foot of Block 667 Jalan Damai in the Bedok Reservoir area.

Chan Hong died in hospital three hours later.

At a joint coroner’s inquiry into the deaths of the two Tampines Secondary School students yesterday, a gag order was in force to stop the names of the student witnesses from being published.

The court heard that the group had planned to hold hands and leap from the 13th floor of the block in which Witaya lived, but with the entrance to the rooftop being locked, the group ended up in his bedroom.

Of the two witnesses who took the stand yesterday, one, aged 17 and now a salesman, testified that Witaya had raised the idea of the suicide pact two days before an Aug 22 barbecue to celebrate the birthday of one of their friends.

After most of the guests had left the party early on Aug 23, Witaya again spoke about joint suicides.

This witness said that while the seven of them were in Witaya’s bedroom, one among them changed his mind and urged his friends not to jump.

But Witaya and Chan Hong climbed onto the window ledge and squatted there.

Chan Hong was “a little afraid”, he said, so the pair climbed back in. After Witaya calmed him down, the two went back to the ledge. Moments later, they jumped, holding hands.

Asked by State Counsel Ang Feng Qian whether they jumped or had fallen by accident, the witness said an accident was unlikely, as they were “prepared” the second time they climbed out.

The other witness, aged 16, testified that Witaya had bought up the idea of suicide as he wanted to know the “truth” of his beliefs.

Asked by State Counsel Ang what everyone thought of the suicide pact, he replied that they were “passionate” about it.

He said he and Chan Hong had been the most passionate, and that Witaya was unwavering.

He said he and the earlier witness had hidden diaries belonging to the teens in the riser outside Witaya’s flat before the ambulance turned up; he added that they had wanted to keep things under wraps, as it was “very complicated” to others outside the group.

The 17-year-old witness and Witaya’s brother had penned farewell letters.

The investigation officer, Senior Staff Sergeant Edward Wong from the Bedok police division, said Witaya had been introduced to Taoism by his grandmother, Madam Goh Lim Choo, 62, who was formerly a medium.

Witaya had been holding rituals and going into a trance at home on Fridays.

A worshipper of the gods of heaven and hell, he had wanted to quit school but was advised by his father, construction contractor Ku Kim Huat, 40, to finish his O levels first.

Investigations showed that in 2006, the group had played war games and the computer game Slayers.

Witaya said they were slayers who could kill demons.

In the middle of last year, he told his friends that they had to die to become “slayers” to kill those demons threatening the world, which was soon to be shaken up by World War III.

His friends agreed to “sacrifice” themselves to become slayers.

A Taoist Federation administrator said in a report that Taoism valued life and that Taoists would not engage in activities that harmed themselves or others.

Neither Witaya, nor the “Sheng Long Fu” group he led, was registered with the federation.

The inquiry before State Coroner Victor Yeo continues

See also: Teens' leader said they'd die and return to save the world