Rock star not to
blame in teen's
suicide, say fans
NATEE VICHITSORASATRA
DUANGNAPA RUKSORN
The Nation
"WHY does everybody have to blame it on
Hide?" was the unspectedly heated
response from an avid fan of X Japan
band and Japanese pop culture. While
the press attacks the craze for Japanese
pop idols following the suicide of a school-
girl on Tuesday, fans feel they might be
overlooking other factors in her death.
Many teenageers interviewed yesterday
in front of shops in Siam Square which sell
Japanese pop paraphernalia questioned
whether 15-year-old Wachiraporn Kaews-
rinon's suicide really was because Hide,
the guitarist of the popular band X Japan
who committed suicide. "He died two years
ago. Why would a suicide take place so long
after Hide's death?" asked Orathai Rat-
tanakul, a 17-year-old Ramkhamheang
University student.
"My friends
and I like to dress
up like Japanese
pop stars from
time to time and
have fun doing it.
It's not necessary
that people who
like Japanese pop
culture should act
strangely or be
introverted, as
people suppose,"
Orathai added.
She said that
there were a
number of Japanese pop devotees who
studied hard and rarely socialised
Others were not so certain that the
death was not caused by Wachiraporn's
devotion to Hide.
"Teenagers today are capable of being
extremely attached to their idols. Com-
pounded by constant reminders from the
press of Hide's death, it was possible that
his death became unbearable and led to the
suicide," said Pumarin Kedrungraung, a
19-year-old student wearing Japanese-
style cloths with her hair dyed yellow.
Suwat Paradorncharoensak, a sales-
person at Ishimaru, which specialises in
Japanese pop paraphernalia, said most of
his customers were from neraly Chula-
longkorn University avd Triam Udom
Suksa School, among the most presti-
gious educational institutions in Thai-
land. "You can see that they are very nor-
mal customers," Suwat said.
Indeed, most customers were unexcep-
tional, apart from a few who had dyed
their hair bright yellow. Most came in
their school or university uniforms.
"I just dress this way and dyed my hair
because I was so bore of the way Ilooked
in high school. This fashion has been
around for such a long time and I fol-
lowed it because I think it's beautiful,"
said Punarin.
"I fear that people might think that
Japanese music influences the youth neg-
atively. I think that teenagers' behaviour
is up to thenselves, not music. Music is just
something one can turn to for pleasure,"
said Suwat. He felt that Wachiraporn's sui-
cide might have been provoked by family
or school trouble.
Although most of the teenagers inter-
viewed understood how. Wachiraporn's
feelings might have driven her to suicide,
assuming it was prompted by Hide's death,
not one said they would have done the
same. "I like X Japan a lot, but commit-
ting suicide is just
nonsense," said
Jompon Lim-
rossukont, a 19-
year-old student.
"Dumb!" was
Orathai's opinion.
She told of her
friend who cried
for days and
mourned a whole
month for Hide.
But despite her
obvious devotion,
her friend never
once thought of
suicide, she said.
Considering the headlines and graphic
pictures in the newspapers , it was not
surprising that several teenagers at Siam
Square, where groups of devotees of Japan-
ese culture often gather, were rather secre-
tive. One young student snapped shut
her folder of picture of Japanese idols
and denied that she had anything to do
with Japanese pop culture, even though
she had just walked out of Voice, another
popular shop for Japanese paraphernalia.
"Several fans of Japanese music are
very upset that the media is linking what
could be a suicide due to personal problems,
to their idols. Most listeners don't even
know that words mean, so how could
it make one committed suicide?" saked Suwat.
Despite Wachiraporn's indisputable
devotion to Hide, the reasons for her sui-
cide remain unclear, and one might want
to think twice before accepting the easiest
explanation as the true one.
Parents, teacher urged
to show understanding
The Nation
PARENTS, guardians teachers should
try harder to understood the teenagers in
their charge in order to prevent suicides,
the director general of the Mental Health
Department said yesterday.
Winai Viriyakitja said uegent measures
were needed to stem the rising suicide
rate among teenagers in a bid to make
youngsters feel mentally secure.
"Dont't just aim to make your children
achieve high academic scores or focus on
their IQ. Attention should rather be focused
on their emotions -- that is, EQ (Emo-
tional Quotient)," he said.
The doctor also said a major reason for
suicides by teenagers was a lack of under-
standing on the part of parents, guardians
and teachers. He called on those involved
to try to understand the feeling of the chil-
dren in their charge "before it is too late".
Winai said th Public Health Ministry
and the Education Ministry would today
hold a press conference on a joint project
to ease stress among Thai youth.
He also said that he believed the suicide
by a Matthayom 4 (grade 10) student
was not caused byber obsession with
Japanese rock star Hideaki Takizawa.
Washiraporn Kaewsrinon, 15, leapt to
her death from the eight floor of an
arpartment building in Din Daeng district
on Tuesday morning.
Takizawa, better known among his fans
as Hide, was lead singer of the band X
Japan who hanged himself in 1998, trig-
gering a spate of copycat suicides by his
loyal fans.
Winai said yesterday that judging from
the way Wachiraporn screamed after talk-
ing on the phone with someone, it was
apparent that she was under severe stress.
Vachira Pengchan, director of the
Srithanya Mental Hospital, agree with
him. He said factors leading to a suicide
have usually been building for some time.
Some young people thought it was unfair
to blame Hide for Wachiraporn's suicide.
A young man, who prefers to be called
Kong, said the Japanese singer had been
dead several years and was unlikely to
inspire the suicide. "I think the cause was
family problems," he said.
Anchana Seansutthiseree, a 20-year-
old university student speaking on the
rising problem of youth suicide, said, "they
did it because they wanted to imitate
their idols. I think it's stupid thing to do,
there are so many better ways to solve your
problems.
"They could have been problem chil-
dren in my opinion, or maybe their parents
didn't give them enough time. I feel that
if they had taken more care, they could have
acted as a guide in times of trouble and
problems. They fact they lacked that, that
is why they finally got themselves in that
situation."
Pisamai Tongarsa, founder of the Takky
(Hideaki Takizawa) Fan Club, said: "I felt
so upset over what the media had to say
about my fan club project. They didn't
know the truth and they didn't ask me for
details. They attacked me for setting up
the Takky Fan Club, as a means to get rich
and for my own bussiness pueposes."
"I can assure you that most teenagers
I know who are crazy about Japanese
singers and fashions have a good upbring-
ing. They have good educational back-
grounds and come from stable families.
They don't use drugs as outsiders like to
believe."
Organiser
may call off
concert
SUKANYA SAE-LIM
The Nation
JAPANESE rock music may make its
Thai fans morose, but it doesn't cause
suicide, said an editorial in a Thai mag-
azine devoted to Japanese pop culture.
Although its true that some Thai teens
have become intensely preoccupied with
their fovourite Japanese pop stars and
some vowed to kill themselves following
the suicide of Japanese singing sensa-
toin Hide not one Thai fan actually
attemped do so, Somyos Sethasawasdi,
editor of Idil Nippon said.
"Hide's death was so moving that numer-
ous youths wrote letters to us, saying
they would kill thenselves like the
deceased star did," he said. "But it was only
for a short period after his death. After that,
we didn't hear of this issue util recent-
ly."
However, Somyos admitted that he had
just recieved a letter from a suicidal Hide
fan. "I'm not sure if Washiraporn was the
sender," he said. The letter has prompt-
ed Somyos to reconsider his decision to com-
memorated the thrid anniversary of Hide
suicide in May.
Fans of Japanese pop stars range from
14-year-old stdents to aadults with pro-
fessional jobs, but most of them are teens,
said Pissamai Thong ar-sa, of Idol Nippon's
editorial department. Fans of Japanese
rock tend to be introverted, neat and do
well at school, she said . However,they show
signs os anxiety and the music may be their
way of expressing their deeper feelings.
"Japanese rockers pour their emotions
out in their music and performances and
that's why they attract morose Thai youths
who are looking for way to release they
repressed selves," Pissamai explained.
Wachiraporn's suicide likely resulted
from family problems rather than her
obsession with Hide, Pissamai said.
Hide hanged himselve two years ago,
she pointed out. "Time would have less-
ened her sadness over Hide's death. Thus,
it should not effect her that much now."
"Youths are crazy about X Japan band.
They passionately love Hide. And some-
times they may be too obsessed with their
idol. But their absession has never led
as far as a suicide attempt," she added.
Wachiraporn's suicide was prompted
by other problems, agree Dr Kavi Suwan-
nakij, former head of psychology of Siri-
raj Hospital.
Although teens imitate the fashions
and even the views and lifestyles of their
idols, the decision to kill oneself if unlike-
ly to result from the death os rock star,
which took place a few years ago, he rea-
soned.
However, he added that Hide's suicide
may have had some impact on the 15-
year-old girl's suicide.