. According to the World Health Organization, the rate of suicide in Malaysia is close to the lowest on the planet; a tenth or so of rates in European countries.
But, is this due to Malaysia's measurement criteria? In a society where suicide is taboo (and not saying this applies), facts on the ground may be interpreted to uphold the norms. Durkheim spoke to this in his classic
Suicide.
The rate of suicide-by-loaded-aircraft amongst pilots is vanishingly low as well; statistically it's zero plus noise. Pilot suicide is a highly unlikely explanation for this incident. Unfortunately, so are all the other possible explanations.
The commercial aircraft accident rate is also vanishingly small, too, isn't it? What % of this rate is due to pilot suicide?
As for the culture of suicide - I think the opposite... I think that in countries such as Malaysia etc, the pride and prestige of being an airline pilot is still very high compared to the western world where it seems to have been devalued...
Agree. But perhaps this introduces other issues. Malaysia is still a traditional society, wherein individuals reach various developmental milestones at an earlier age, as the West did years ago. So, one marries at 20, is a grandparent at 53. At the same time, individuals on certain career paths --whether young women working in MNC assembly plants, or pilots flying international routes-are exposed to Western values and lifestyles. This presents problems for the young women, who are sometimes 'ruined'. They may no longer fit in to the society within which they're trapped. Could this apply to pilots as well?
SIM cards...I was able to purchase a microSIM for my unlocked cell at an airport kiosk in KK recently, without showing any ID. I paid for it in ringgits. Only Mexico seems to strictly enforce an ID requirement.