Outpouring of grief over JPA scholar’s death in Scotland
KUALA LUMPUR: The death of Soh Zhi Min, a Malaysian medical student at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Britain, last Wednesday, has sent shockwaves among her close-knit community of friends.
Soh, 23, was struck by a tour bus after falling from her bicycle on May 31. Police said the wheels of her bicycle were caught in the tram tracks.
There was an outpouring of grief and shock from among her friends, notably on social media. There were numerous condolence messages posted on her Facebook profile.
One friend, IChing Yee, shared how difficult it had been to accept that her friend of “four years and counting” was gone.
“For the last couple of days, I was quiet, numb and in a state of disbelief. How can someone just leave us forever in a split second?
“I couldn’t bear imagining how your condition was or even read news articles about the incident. I know you’re a person who loved literature, and so am I. But words just never felt so piercingly cold,” she said in a post, which carried past photos of them together.
For Caely Yo Yi Yun, she remembers Zhiminy, a nickname she gave Soh, her friend of six years, as someone who was thoughtful and kind.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the ministry and the Malaysian High Commission in London were providing aid and support to Soh’s family.
“Soh was a JPA (Public Service Department) scholar pursuing her fourth year in medicine at the University of Edinburgh. “Following confirmation of her identity on June 1, officials from the (Malaysian) High Commission met representatives from the university and police regarding this incident. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends for their loss.
“I have contacted her mother to express my condolences, and assured her family that we would assist during this difficult time.”