River Valley High School attack

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River Valley High School attack
RiverValleyHigh (1).png
River Valley High School
River Valley High School is located in Singapore
River Valley High School
River Valley High School
River Valley High School (Singapore)
LocationRiver Valley High School
Boon Lay, Singapore[1]
Coordinates1°20′35″N 103°42′34″E / 1.343172°N 103.709490°E / 1.343172; 103.709490Coordinates: 1°20′35″N 103°42′34″E / 1.343172°N 103.709490°E / 1.343172; 103.709490
Date19 July 2021; 6 months ago (2021-07-19)
11:16 a.m. – 11:44 a.m. (Singapore Standard Time)
WeaponOne axe
Deaths1
MotiveUndetermined[2]

On 19 July 2021, a thirteen-year old, Secondary One male student was allegedly struck to death with an axe at River Valley High School in Boon Lay, Singapore. The suspected attacker was a sixteen-year-old Secondary Four male student, who was arrested shortly after the incident, which was reportedly unprecedented in the history of Singapore.

Attack and aftermath[]

The attack occurred between 11:16 a.m. and 11:44 a.m. local time at a fourth floor toilet in River Valley High School.[3] A group of students encountered the suspect—a sixteen-year-old Secondary Four student—outside the toilet at 11:35 a.m. with an axe. When the suspect asked them to call the police, the students retreated to their classroom and instated a lockdown drill. The suspect then went to a classroom to make the same request, upon which the second group also instated a lockdown. Both groups alerted their teachers.[4]

A teacher confronted the suspect and requested that the axe be placed on the floor. The suspect complied with the instruction and was escorted to a meeting room.[4] The victim—a thirteen-year-old, Secondary One male student—was then found dead inside the toilet, having suffered multiple wounds allegedly caused by the axe.[5]

The suspect was subsequently arrested by the Singapore Police Force.[5] The entire school was placed into lockdown until around 3:30 p.m.[6] As the following day was Hari Raya Haji, a public holiday, students returned to the school on 21 July.[7] In the days following the attack, counselling was provided for nearly 540 students and teachers, while personnel from the Ministry of Education took over some classes.[8]

Suspect[]

According to a statement released by the Singapore Police Force several hours after the incident, "[p]reliminary investigations revealed that the two male teenagers are not known to each other."[9] It was also revealed that the alleged perpetrator had previously attempted suicide two years before and had been remanded in the Institute of Mental Health. He is alleged to have procured the axe used in the attack online.[10] According to Channel 8 News, the suspect had simply wanted to attack the first person to enter the toilet.[11]

The Secondary Four student, who cannot be named due to Singaporean law on account of his age, was charged with murder on 20 July and remanded at the Complex Medical Centre within Changi Prison for psychiatric evaluation.[7] As a minor, he is protected by the Children and Young Persons Act and cannot be sentenced to death if found guilty of the murder charge, with the maximum sentence being life imprisonment. Criminal lawyer Peter Fernando was assigned to defend the suspect in his trial.[3]

On 10 August, a fresh court order was issued to extend the suspect's period of psychiatric remand by another two weeks. By then, Fernando had been replaced by Diana Ngiam and Sunil Sudheesan.[12] He was further remanded on 24 August 2021 for 7 days, even though he had completed his psychiatric evaluations.[13] On 31 August, his case was adjourned to 19 October. No date for his trial was scheduled at present. It was also revealed the suspect had been allowed to meet his family.[14]

Responses[]

According to local newspaper The Straits Times, the attack was unprecedented in the history of Singapore.[15] Both Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing wrote on Facebook that they were "shocked", while the Ministry of Education and River Valley High School said that they were "deeply saddened" by the incident.[16][17] President Halimah Yacob opined that "parents, schools and our society are ill-equipped to deal with this situation."[18] Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said that it was "difficult to even describe the true extent of their (the victim's parents') grief".[19] Several other Cabinet members and local religious leaders also publicly commented on the attack.[16][20]

The attack sparked concerns over mental health in Singapore.[21][22] Netizens and Member of Parliament Patrick Tay questioned the decision to return students to school a day after the attack. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing defended his decision and replied that the ministry had decided that it was better for the students to grieve together than alone at home. Students were allowed to stay home if they chose.[23]

The Ministry of Education subsequently removed several topics from the final year examinations "to help ease stress" and proposed a buddy system to be implemented in schools, though the latter scheme drew criticism.[24][25][26]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Boon Lay community, counsellors ready to support River Valley High School: Desmond Lee". Channel News Asia. 19 July 2021.
  2. ^ Sood, Amy (20 July 2021). "Singapore police arrest teen for suspected murder of 13-year-old boy". CNN.
  3. ^ a b Lam, Lydia (20 July 2021). "Teenager charged with murdering fellow student at River Valley High School". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b Wei Kai, Ng (27 July 2021). "How River Valley High School tragedy unfolded: Student seen holding axe, asking others to call police". The Straits Times. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b "River Valley High School death: Police seize axe after Sec 4 student allegedly kills Sec 1 student". The Straits Times. 19 July 2021.
  6. ^ "'Serious incident' at River Valley High School involving Sec 1 boy; Sec 4 male student assisting with police investigations". Today. 19 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b Shiying, Wong (21 July 2021). "Solemn mood at River Valley High School as students return to campus". The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  8. ^ Qing, Ang (28 July 2021). "About 540 River Valley High School students and teachers have sought help after alleged murder of Sec 1 student". The Straits Times. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Teenager arrested for suspected involvement in the death of 13-year-old victim". Singapore Police Force. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  10. ^ Iau, Jean (20 July 2021). "River Valley High School death: Early investigations suggest axe bought online, says Shanmugam". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  11. ^ 立化中学发生命案 嫌犯疑持斧头砍人. Channel 8 News (in Chinese). 19 July 2021.
  12. ^ "River Valley High School student remanded for two more weeks for psychiatric evaluation". The Straits Times. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Teen accused of murder at River Valley High School to be remanded further, psychiatric evaluation complete". CNA. 24 August 2021.
  14. ^ "River Valley High School student charged with murder to meet family for first time since incident". The Straits Times. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  15. ^ Lee, Venessa; Chia, Elisa (25 July 2021). "River Valley High School incident: How to help children process traumatic events". The Straits Times. closed access
  16. ^ a b "'Words fail us because we can't understand': PM Lee on River Valley High tragic incident". Today. 20 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Singapore police to charge 16-year-old with murder after alleged attack on 13-year-old in secondary school". South China Morning Post. 19 July 2021.
  18. ^ Goh, Yan Han (23 July 2021). "More can be done for youth facing mental health issues: President Halimah". The Straits Times.
  19. ^ "Singapore shocked by killing of boy, 13, at school". BBC. 20 July 2021.
  20. ^ Tay, Hong Yi (24 July 2021). "Religious leaders from 10 faiths pray for teen who died and for S'pore". The Straits Times.
  21. ^ Ganapathy, Kurt (23 July 2021). "'Schools need a lot more resources and support to help students with mental health issues': President Halimah". CNA. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  22. ^ Sathish, Sinchita (7 August 2021). "To show more empathy to those who need help, let's recognise mental health goes beyond resilience". Today. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  23. ^ Yeoh, Grace (1 August 2021). "Commentary: Life after a traumatic event and the problem with the resilience narrative". CNA. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  24. ^ Ng, Wei Kai (27 July 2021). "Lighter load for national and year-end school exams to help ease stress: Chan Chun Sing". The Straits Times. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  25. ^ Lai, Linette (31 July 2021). "MOE looking at buddy systems to help students cope with problems: Chan Chun Sing". The Straits Times. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  26. ^ Rosario, Beatrice Del (3 August 2021). ""Huh?" "Buddy system?" "That's it?" Netizens react to Chan Chun Sing looking into buddy system programme for students' mental health". The Independent. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
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