KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 — Students of SMK Raja Abdullah are in shock over the death of 17-year-old Hon Ye who was well-liked for his cheerfulness.

A classmate, who requested anonymity, said the top student had arrived five minutes late for the Additional Mathematics Paper 1 on Tuesday which was unusual as he was always punctual. 

“We never thought he was so depressed to wanting to take his own life.

“He told the teacher he wanted to go home and just left halfway during the exam.  

“Later, when some of his friends called him out for lunch, he declined their invitation. The next thing we knew, he had hung himself,” she said. 

The classmate said Hon was a hardworking student and had scored well in previous examinations.

“You would never see him without his books. He would often stay alone in the classroom to study,” she said. 

“Some days we see him coming to school looking exhausted. According to him, it was because he studied late into the night.”

Another friend said Hon had scored straight A’s in the PMR examination.

“His favourite subject was chemistry. He was also part of the JUARA programme for high achievers,”  she said. 

He said Hon was a humble person who never flaunted the fact that he was an actor in a Chinese language television serial.