A man was found dead inside a water tank on the rooftop of an apartment building in Kaohsiung on Wednesday morning.
Police said it appeared to be a case of suicide. The body was discovered by a mechanic when he opened the water tank, the main source of drinking water for the building, to check the pump on Wednesday.
The victim, surnamed Lee, was found with a belt around his neck tied to the bottom rung of the ladder inside the water tank. He also had a tattoo of the character for “home” (家) on his arm.
Lee was a resident of the building, police said. They found in his room letters to his family expressing his sorrow at leaving them. Initial investigations showed that Lee had been unemployed for some time before his death and he was heavily in debt, with his house to be auctioned off by the court soon.
Police said Lee might have committed suicide after learning that his apartment would be sold off. He tied himself to the bottom of the ladder to make sure he would stay under water all the time.
Taiwan Society of Suicidology secretary-general Liao Shih-cheng (廖士程) said that while there are all types of help available to assist people in difficulty, men are more reluctant to seek it.
“Do not hesitate to find help. It sometimes just takes a phone call to turn your thoughts around. If it’s something more serious, help may be right around the corner,” Liao said.
“If you see someone act like he or she is going to commit suicide, you should make the life-saving phone call,” Liao said.
The Department of Heath offers a toll-free counseling hotline at 0800-788-995. The Teacher Chang counseling hotline can be reached by simply dialing 1980.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LOA IOK-SIN
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