While Malaysians continue to mourn the victim of the fatal stabbing at a secondary school in Bandar Utama, former Malaysian badminton doubles champion Tan Boon Heong sent a wreath to the victim’s funeral at Nirvana Memorial Center, Kuala Lumpur.
The tragedy struck a personal chord with Boon Heong, who revealed that Yap Shing Xuen, the 16-year-old victim, had been one of the students at his badminton academy.
“No, I’m not doing this for social media engagement”
In a Facebook post, Boon Heong expressed his sorrow over Shing Xuen’s brutal death and clarified that his gesture was not intended to gain social media attention. He shared that Shing Xuen had joined his TBH Badminton Academy in July this year.
“Some of you may wonder why I sent a wreath to her funeral when I didn’t even know her personally. She was actually one of our TBH Academy students. She joined last July, and as someone with a family myself, this tragedy saddened me deeply.”
Boon Heong to pay final respects in person
In the same post, Boon Heong also expressed his intention to visit the memorial center to pay his final respects. The wake began on Thursday (16 October) and is scheduled to continue until Monday (20 October).
He mentioned that he was in China and expected to return to Malaysia on Friday (17 October), after which he planned to visit the wake.
“Rest in peace. I pray that she’s happy in heaven.”
As of 18 October, the 14-year-old suspect remains under a seven-day remand. The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) confirmed that the weapons used in the attack were purchased online and denied claims that the suspect had confessed romantic feelings to Shing Xuen.
According to both the police and Shing Xuen’s mother, the victim did not personally know the suspect.
