Man attempts mid-air suicide

[Airbubba]

Not really UK news but...

Man attempts mid-air suicide

From correspondents in Beijing
September 5, 2003

A distraught passenger on board a Chinese plane en route to Beijing from Paris tried to commit hara-kiri with a pair of scissors, but was stopped at the last minute, state media reported Friday.

A stewardess on board the Air China flight was alerted to the situation when she noticed that the passenger, seated at the back of economy class, tried to slice his stomach open with the scissors, the Beijing Today newspaper said.

Four crew members tried to subdue the passenger, while he attempted to smash his head into the wall, but a doctor on board finally managed to force a tranquilizer down his throat, the paper said.

It turned out the passenger apparently wanted to commit ritual suicide after he had been turned away at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport because of problems with his passport, the paper said.

The paper did not give the nationality of the passenger, but noted that while he was fighting with the crew, he shouted "I want to go back to Sri Lanka".

http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7177169%255E1702,00.html

[Longtimer]

If the story is factual, it does not say much for the security system at Paris that would allow him to board carrying a pair of scissors.

[timmcat]

If he had already decided to commit suicide, one wonders why he bothered to get on the plane anyway.

[Nineiron]

Maybe it WAS the airline food. Isn't it the airline's responsibility to repatriate a person if their entry papers at destination are not in order?

[Anti Skid On]

I remember once being told that if you were born on a commercial flight you could claim citizenship of

1) The flag of the airline
2) The country of departure AND arrival
3) The airspace that you were flying through

(note this may all be bollocks and I am just gullible)

So if this geezer was successful in his Hari Kari attempt, which country would have the right to certify him and deal with the fallout:confused: