Poly student murdered in PRC

[RonRon]

A SINGAPORE Polytechnic student on an industrial attachment in a city in north-east China died from stab wounds after a nightclub brawl with three Chinese nationals last Friday.

Mr Vincent Chia Ming Jin, 19 and in his second year as a mechatronics student, had been at a karaoke lounge in Jiamusi, a small city in Heilongjiang province.

He had been in the city for just under three weeks of a six-week aircraft maintenance programme, and had gone to the Action Zone nightspot at around 11pm with nine fellow students.

Chinese-language news website Northeast reported that he had invited a woman, known only as Miss Wang, along. She, in turn, had brought four other friends.

Three of her friends have been described as his attackers.

It is not known how Mr Chia knew Miss Wang, or whether he knew the three men who attacked him.

It is believed that while the group was drinking and singing, they had a dispute over the service staff.

At around 11.30pm, when Mr Chia went to the toilet, the three men are believed to have accosted him.

They began raining blows on Mr Chia, who fled the scene. The three chased after him and one of them stabbed him in the right thigh with a switchblade as he tried to get into a taxi.

He was taken to hospital, but died from his injuries.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.