A 24 year old man surnamed Li has been found dead today in Tai Po after jumping from the third floor of the Philips Electronics building at the Hong Kong Science Park, where he worked in the mail room for the 3 months prior to his death. He was discovered at 5am by a passer-by and declared dead at the scene by paramedics.
Li Chi Ho, whose English name was Tommy, was reportedly a compulsive gambler who frequented casinos in Macau and often engaged in sports betting. His parents had previously helped him pay off his debts to loan sharks once, but he didn’t stop his habit and lost 100,000 Hong Kong dollars betting on the World Cup.
After his parents refused to help him again, he took a taxi to the Hong Kong Science Park in the small hours and jumped in desperation. When his parents were asked to identify the corpse at the scene, his father was so distraught that he fainted upon seeing the body. The police found an application for credit from a Macanese casino and a receipt from an online casino on the body.
This is the third gambling related suicide reported in Hong Kong this June. Experts say that there has been a spike in reports of gambling addictions, with most sufferers being between the ages of 20 and 30.
Photo: Chong Fat
