Viral knife attack on Chinese student shocks Malaysia
Coming just weeks after another student’s murder, Monday’s attack at Taylor’s University has reignited debate about campus safety in Malaysia
Malaysian police arrested a 21-year-old Chinese national on Monday on suspicion of slashing his ex-girlfriend’s neck with a knife at Taylor’s University on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
Footage of the attack posted by students to Reddit and RedNote showed the victim, aged 20 and also Chinese, sprawled on the floor, clutching her neck as friends desperately called for help. Other students restrained the suspect, who was still holding a knife, until authorities arrived.
Subang Jaya police confirmed that the victim had suffered a slash wound to the left side of her neck but said she was in a stable condition.
“She was taken to the emergency unit of University of Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM) and placed in the red zone for further treatment,” district police chief Wan Azlan Wan Mamat said in a statement.
A Taylor’s University student, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the relationship between the victim and suspect had soured dramatically after their break-up, with the suspect allegedly threatening his ex-girlfriend’s pet cat if she insisted on ending the relationship.
“He sprayed the cat with bug spray. I think it really died. There’s a video of the incident being shared among students,” the student told This Week in Asia. The victim was reportedly being detained against her will before the attack.
News of the attack has shocked the Malaysian public, fuelling debate online about campus safety and student behaviour. Many questioned whether universities were adequately protecting students given the recent spate of “very risky” incidents.
The latest incident comes just weeks after the high-profile murder of University of Cyberjaya physiotherapy student Maniishapriet Kaur Akhara on June 23.
Prosecutors allege that Maniishapriet was killed by her housemate’s boyfriend, Sri Darvein Manthavan, 19, helped by her housemate, Thineswary V. Devendran, also 19.
The accused allegedly robbed Maniishapriet after the murder and withdrew cash using her bank cards. Both face the death penalty if convicted, or alternatively, a prison term of 30 to 40 years and not less than 12 strokes of the cane.
