13-year-old boy in bad shape after suicide attempt

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung

A 13-year-old boy, Agus Surayana, is reportedly in a bad condition after attempting to kill himself at his grandmother's house in Cisarua, Lembang, near the West Java capital of Bandung.

His grandmother, Emi, said she believed her grandson had attempted suicide at around 9 a.m. on Sunday because she had not immediately responded to his request for Rp 5,000 (US$0.58).

Earlier, Agus' parents, who live near Emi's house, forbade him to accompany his younger brother to attend a school celebration marking the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday.

Agus had attended elementary school but his parents could not afford to send him to junior high school. When reportedly told that he could not attend the school activity, Agus had cried and gone directly to his bedroom.

"Because I only had notes, I went to a nearby shop to try to get some small change. When I returned, I was surprised that Agus had stopped crying. When I opened the bedroom door, I found him hanging and unconscious," Emi recalled.

She cried out for help. Agus' uncle, Yaya, 24, heard the call. He cut the piece of cloth that was around the boy's neck with a knife, while several neighbors supported Agus' body from below.

However, they were unable to hold the boy's weight and he fell to the ground, hitting his temple.

Emi said it was believed that her grandson had been hanging for around three minutes.

Agus was later taken to the Cisarua Community Health Center (Puskesmas).

After he was cut down, Agus had remained unconscious for one hour. He momentarily regained consciousness before slipping in and out of awareness.

After four hours of treatment at the health center, Agus was moved to Hasan Sadikin General Hospital in Bandung for intensive care.

Djatnika Setiabudi, a doctor at the hospital, said on Monday that Agus was still suffering from the affects of three minutes without oxygen.

The doctor explained that, in a neurological test that measured consciousness on a scale of three to 15, Agus had rated 12. Fifteen would indicate that a person was fully conscious.

"The patient fainted and turned blue because his oxygen supply was cut off. Luckily, his heart is strong," Djatnika said.

Agus' father Nana wrote to the hospital asking the team of doctors treating his son not to expose the suicide attempt to the public.

The hospital banned journalists from taking pictures of Agus at the request of his parents.

"Agus will probably need speech therapy. He can open his eyes but he slips in and out of consciousness," another doctor Dadang Hudaya, said.

He could not say how long it would be before Agus fully recovered.

Agus is the third child to be treated at the Hasan Sadikin hospital after a suicide attempt last year.

On Aug. 22, 2003, 12-year-old student Heryanto attempted to kill himself at his home in Garut regency, West Java. He was in a coma for weeks.

Heryanto attempted suicide by hanging himself with a plastic cable. He was reportedly upset that his parents could not afford to pay Rp 2,500, which his teacher had requested for school equipment.

Heryanto's case caught the attention of senior government officials, including West Java Governor Danny Setiawan and Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono X, who visited him at the hospital.