[River Valley High] When the school is the site of a murder

Update as of 24 February 2023

A teenager who was originally accused of murdering a 13-year-old boy at River Valley High School in July 2021 has had his charge amended to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

He reportedly caused the death of a 13-year-old boy inside a toilet on the fourth floor of Block D in River Valley High School.

The accused was 16 when he allegedly slashed the head, neck and body of the victim with an axe measuring 50cm by 22cm between 11.16am and 11.44am on Jul 19, 2021.

He did so with the intention of causing the boy's death.

A place of learning and a haven of safety. But for the students, staff and parents of River Valley High School, this peace and tranquillity were abruptly shattered on the afternoon of 19 July 2021.

The same corridors and classrooms walked by staff and students alike will never be or feel the same again. The scenes of gore and violence that some students have witnessed cannot be unseen and deleted from their consciousness.

The school has now become the scene of a murder, inscribed in the annals of Singapore’s history. A dark episode.

In two different classrooms, the educational experiences of these students will never be the same again.

In one of them, a friend and companion of theirs will forever be marked as absent. In another classroom is an empty space vacated by a “murderer”. Prior to the start of the new school week, he was like any other student in that class. After today, his entire class and friends may be ostracised by the rest of the school, and his teachers thoroughly scrutinised.

We know that this murder is the third murder in less than a week in Singapore, but this lone event does not indicate that there is a widespread and fundamental problem with security in our schools. They are still safe for our children.

Lest we instil unnecessary anxieties and fear, we have to protect the feelings of all who were present on-site. Their emotional health should now be our utmost importance.

The Ministry of Education, parent groups and alumni groups associated with River Valley High School have their work cut out for them. The extent of the shock experienced by students, teachers, staff and parents is, thus far, not known. As a nation, we should do our utmost best to support them in these times of need.

This also means that we need to ensure that the privacy of the victim, perpetrator, and their families are protected too.

To the victim’s family, we extend our deepest condolences to a young and bright life lost to a sudden act of violence. His hope and dreams extinguished. Today, we mourn as a nation, and we grieve together with his parents.

The family members of the accused, a Secondary 4 student, are probably now trying to come to terms with the facts of the tragedy, and why their kin would perpetrate such an act of violence on another young life in such a brutal manner.

They would be confused, devastated, and deeply sorry. A deep sense of guilt, anger and incomprehension is bound to engulf them as we speak and comment on this incident. They may never know why.

No one wants to see such a tragic event happening in our schools. No one, not even the parents of the accused. So please be kind with your words.

According to news reports, both teenagers are not known to each other. This makes the whole tragedy even more confounding.

Why? why did he do it? In the end, no one explanation will do. Two lives have now been irrevocably changed, and a school will never be the same again.

Today, they need our love and our support. Lend a hand. Lend a listening ear. Be there.

Singapore and Singaporeans stand with the students, staff, teachers and parents of River Valley High School.

As more details of this incident are made known, our nation grieves the lives and bright futures lost through this senseless act of violence.

To say that we can come to terms with this tragedy is an understatement. Too many lives are involved, too many lives have been changed.

Today is a sad day for all educators and parents in Singapore.

Today, the whole nation mourns.

Incomprehensible. Simply incomprehensible.

Postscript: Tonight, before you tuck your precious child to sleep, don’t forget to let them know that Papa and Mama love them.

For two families in Singapore, their precious little one is not coming home, ever again, and Singapore is poorer by this tragic fact.

< Older Post Newer Post >

"That steely resolve and ethic behind Nam Seng": Leong Yuet Mei 梁月明, 94

February 12, 2024

Death Kopitiam Singapore's tribute to Mdm Leong Yuet Meng, founder of Nam Seng Wanton Noodles

At the reunion table, grief sits

February 8, 2024

A MESSAGE FROM DEATH KOPITIAM SINGAPORE THIS FESTIVE SEASON

On the death penalty

January 29, 2024

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are that of Death Kopitiam Singapore alone. We are not acting or speaking for any organisations or persons who may be for or against the death penalty. We hope to hear your views on this matter, and may we may find some form of consensus on this matter, however difficult it may be. Thank you.