Malaysian teen took own life after Instagram poll

A Malaysian teenager who posted an Instagram poll asking if she should live or die took her own life after a majority of respondents voted for the latter, sparking calls for an investigation. The unidentified 16-year-old from Kuching in eastern Sarawak state died after posting the poll Monday on the Facebook-owned picture-sharing platform. “Really Important, Help Me Choose D/L,” she wrote, according to a report on the news portal Astro Awani, with the letters “D” and “L” apparently referring to “die” or “live” respectively. Sixty-nine percent of votes cast were in favour of her ending her life, local media quoted police as saying. Lawmaker Ramkarpal Singh called for a probe into the circumstances of her death. Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq tweeted that he was “genuinely worried” about the state of mental health of young people in Malaysia. “It’s a national issue which must be taken seriously. A national discussion must take place,” he said.