Migrant worker found with throat slit after alleged suicide attempt

A migrant worker was found lying on a staircase with his throat slit on August 2.

The 36-year-old man slit his own throat in an alleged suicide attempt at a dormitory in Sungei Kadut. A photo of the scene shows the man lying next to a pool of blood on a staircase landing which leads up to the dormitory.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that dormitory operators and FAST (Forward Assurance and Support Team) responded immediately and treated the man’s injuries. He is now in a safe and stable condition.

The incident occured at Block 53 Sungei Kadut Loop, and the police were alerted to the incident around 7.30am. He was apprehended under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.

The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act provides for the admission, detention, care and treatment of mentally disordered persons in designated psychiatric institutions.

A spokesperson for MOM reported that the man did not have unpaid salary or signs of distress prior to the incident.

This comes as the most recent in a series of cases of migrant workers attempting suicide.

Previously, there was a case of a migrant worker standing on the window ledge of The Leo dormitory at Kaki Bukit on July 31. The man was pulled back into safety by a group of workers who were gathered at the window he was at.

Prior to that, two videos, uploaded onto Singapore Eye on July 22 and 24 respectively, showed separate occasions of a worker attempting suicide by jumping off a railing in the dormitory.

The suicide attempt on July 22 was allegedly at the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, one of the biggest Covid-19 clusters in Singapore.

Several dormitories have been cleared as Covid-19 free dormitories and workers are allowed to resume work. Mr Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Task Force, announced that nearly all migrant workers are to be cleared by August 7.

Singapore has about 323,000 workers staying in dormitories. Roughly 28,000 workers are in quarantine facilities.

The MOM has urged workers to reach out if they require assistance. A spokesman from MOM advised workers not to put themselves in harm’s way if they encounter problems as acting rashly will make it more difficult for MOM to assist them or help solve their problems sooner.

Helplines for people seeking help:

Migrant Workers’ Centre: 6536-2692

Healthserve: 3138-4443

Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health’s Mobile Crisis Service: 6389-2222

Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800

Silver Ribbon: 6386-1928

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788