Passer-By Pushes Potential Suicide Jumper From Bridge In China

BEIJING — Chen Fuchao, a man heavily in debt, had been contemplating suicide on a bridge in southern China for hours when a passer-by came up, shook his hand _ and pushed him off the ledge.

Chen fell 26 feet (8 meters) onto a partially inflated emergency air cushion laid out by authorities and survived, suffering spine and elbow injuries, the official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday.

The passer-by, 66-year-old Lai Jiansheng, had been fed up with what he called Chen's "selfish activity," Xinhua said. Traffic around the Haizhu bridge in the city of Guangzhou had been backed up for five hours and police had cordoned off the area.

"I pushed him off because jumpers like Chen are very selfish. Their action violates a lot of public interest," Lai was quoted as saying by Xinhua. "They do not really dare to kill themselves. Instead, they just want to raise the relevant government authorities' attention to their appeals."

Xinhua said Lai was "taken away by police" but did not elaborate.

A police officer who answered the telephone Saturday at a station close to the bridge confirmed the incident and said it was under investigation. He refused to give any other details and hung up.

According to Xinhua, Chen wanted to kill himself because he had accrued 2 million yuan ($290,000) in debt from a failed construction project.

On Thursday, he made his way to the Haizhu bridge, where 11 other people have tried to take their lives since April.

Lai volunteered to talk Chen down but was turned away by police, Xinhua said. Lai then broke through the cordon, climbed to where Chen sat, greeted him with a handshake, then pushed.

Photos in the Beijing Morning Post showed Lai, shoeless and in a T-shirt, saluting after Chen fell.

The paper said Lai was released on bail Friday but did not give any details. It said he had been on medication for "a mental illness" for decades and had been on his way to a hospital for his pills.

Chen was recovering in the hospital, Xinhua said.

Comments

[arabianway]

12:32 PM on 05/26/2009

In the grand scheme of things, I really don't see why such a big deal is being made about this.
The guy stood there for four hours making himself and his troubles more important than all those held up in traffic for that time. There was a cushion below him which ultimately worked as it was supposed to. Chances are that now the decision was made for him, he will think twice about trying it (this way) again. If he is intent upon leaving, God Speed!

[philosopherkingtomas]

12:21 PM on 05/26/2009

Good Push!

[mograph]

11:29 AM on 05/26/2009

"I pushed him off because jumpers like Chen are very selfish. Their action violates a lot of public interest," Lai was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

This is a very old-school Eastern way of thinking. "The blade of grass that sticks up is cut down." But the usual punishment would be shaming the person, not pushing them off. It makes sense that Lai is medicated.

[Chi-townfool]

11:22 AM on 05/26/2009

What a logical and rational thought process

[patianneb]

10:23 AM on 05/26/2009

That's sick. I confess when I first noticed the headline in the right column menu, I thought it might be an Onion article, like the "Chinese Stuff Live Panda Into Time Machine" bit last week. Also sick but funny.
This is just plain sick.
People frequently commit suicide...quite a rash for big time economic reasons this year alone. As for Lai -- as far as I'm concerned that's attempted murder.

[PatrickforO]

01:31 AM on 05/26/2009

People think differently about suicide in other cultures. What convinces you all that life is better than death in any and all circumstances? Is contemplation of suicide always a sign of mental illness? For instance, was Kevorkian always wrong? How many Americans now are heavily in debt because of the nice bankers' trick and trap profit methods? Huge debt is a really hard thing to live with. How many people are terminally ill now, with our vaunted health care system doing invasive, damaging things that cause pain and only prolong life for a time? And at what cost? What do you say about all the elderly we've thrown away here, rotting in our nursing homes, their estates sucked up by the health care system? How about them? How's their quality of life?

[Svendem]

03:09 AM on 05/26/2009

Moral of your post: Don't try to say too much at once. You sound like you'd advocate euthanizing people in debt.

[famusamos]

12:12 AM on 05/26/2009

Hmm. 26 ft. jump, we did that in basic training. USMC, feet first. I did it for fun, later, with a Swan Dive, twice, Feels like hitting concrete and you realise your, 12 feet under water and it is alot colder than you expected for July.

[Phenlandia]

11:08 PM on 05/25/2009

Bit of a Zen solution, isn't it? All the suicide with none of the splat.

But his logic was disappointingly cruel.

[JLRoberson]

08:17 PM on 05/25/2009

Um. Well. What a helpful guy.

[American50]

01:05 AM on 05/26/2009

exactly!!!!!!!!!!

[denicci1977]

07:48 PM on 05/25/2009

Why would a loon even be given bail ?

[SurrealPumpkin]

04:49 PM on 05/25/2009

Suicide is funny/selfish
Waterboarding isn't torture

No wonder we have children shooting up schools.

[Phenlandia]

11:10 PM on 05/25/2009

You have my gallows humor when you pry it from my green, rotting fingers.

[Gunfighter]

06:46 AM on 05/26/2009

Children only shoot up schools when they have access to firearms... which they shouldn't.

[Jtt]

04:30 PM on 05/25/2009

He could have grabbed him. The guy wouldn't have spinal injuries now.

Insanity is not "selfish" behavior. Thats an antiquated belief.

[Howzat]

12:55 PM on 05/25/2009

Lean on me and let me fall, I''ll be your friend and carry on...love the guy who did the pushing.


Now that is brotherly love helping a fellow man on his way...Hehehehehehe

My bad

[useyourbrain]

06:59 PM on 05/25/2009

Hey, sh_t, or get off the pot. Other people were waiting to jump and traffic was a bitch. Some people have no consideration of others. They should put a bullet in their head.

[ChelseaC]

10:42 PM on 05/25/2009

sick.

[Disdain]

12:47 PM on 05/25/2009

Whow! You don't want to mess with that dude!

[intopolitics]

11:01 AM on 05/25/2009

Of course the story is terrible but its good that both positive and negative news is getting out of China.

[antaeus]

02:00 PM on 05/25/2009

And how much of either is getting in?

Do they get Huffington Post?

[jt1980]

04:44 PM on 05/25/2009

It was blocked the last time I was in China.

[twintwine]

06:02 PM on 05/25/2009

Is the story accurate?

Is there a reason that a story which would otherwise not be allowed out of China, suddenly is, with quotes no less from the man who interrupted a police action?