M'sian man, 23, allegedly takes his life after going through breakup, mother posts heartbreaking tribute

On Aug. 20, a 23-year-old Malaysian man was reported missing by his family after he did not return from lunch.

His mother, Qiqi Tan, posted an appeal on Facebook, hoping her son, Junying, would be found.

However, Malaysian media outlet Sinchew Daily reported that police confirmed that his body was found at an apartment building in Johor Bahru.

Tan wrote in another Facebook post, questioning why he would do such a thing.

“Even at this very moment, I still cannot understand why, at just 23 years old—with the best years of your life ahead of you, a car, a home, abilities and talents, and being described by everyone as such a gentle and well-mannered young man—you chose to end your life.”

Missing after lunch

Tan shared on Facebook that Junying had gone to lunch at 1pm on Aug. 20, where he suddenly disappeared "for no apparent reason.

He had left his workplace in Johor Bahru but had heard nothing from him, and his phone was also offline.

She added that there was no family argument or debt problems. Junying "simply went to work as usual" and last spoke to Tan at 1:53 pm, sounding completely normal.

A thoughtful and ambitious child

In a subsequent post, Tan described Junying as a "thoughtful and ambitious child", and they used to talk about "anything and everything".

However, once Junying started dating, Tan said she would only see him at the office, since they both worked in the same family business.

She also acknowledged that they had drifted apart, and made peace with the fact that he would be more invested in a relationship with whom he would spend the rest of his life.

She said she had gone through their messages and discovered they no longer shared the little things in their lives.

"It must be because I wasn’t good enough. I still don’t understand what I should have done to be the kind of good mother that children of your generation want.

Even at this very moment, I still cannot understand why, at just 23 years old—with the best years of your life ahead of you, a car, a home, abilities and talents, and being described by everyone as such a gentle and well-mannered young man—you chose to end your life.

You went to work normally that morning, everything seemed fine, and then suddenly, you disappeared."

Breakup

Speaking to reporters from Sinchew, Tan said she discovered her son had broken up with his girlfriend on the morning of Aug. 20.

She suspected he might not have been able to accept the breakup, which led him to jump off the building.

If you or someone you know is in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National Mindline 1771: 1771

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 6571 4400 (for targets of online harms)