A Grade-11 high school student in Rathedaung Township in Rakhine State, tragically took her own life, reportedly as a result of experiencing harassment on social media.
Ma San San Htay committed suicide after an unknown man downloaded her Facebook photos and threatened to edit them using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology. He then added that he would distribute on social media to her friends as stated in a letter left by the deceased.
"A letter was discovered beside her body, and it conveyed a message indicating that she had taken her own life. Her Facebook account had been deactivated. It seems she had been threatened with the possibility of her photos being edited and shared on social media”, a neighboring woman said.
She wrote in the letter, "A person on Facebook uttered obscenities at me, threatened to edit and share my photos with my friends, and even went so far as to make video calls
to me. Fearing the potential humiliation, I decided to take my own life. I deeply apologize to my mom and dad for leaving them alone, but I believed sacrificing myself was the only way to preserve my dignity and shield my shame”.
On November 2nd around 2:00 PM, the girl took her own life by hanging herself at her home in Sar Pyin Gyi village.
"We are deeply saddened by her passing away at such a young age. She had a rather tomboyish demeanor. In my opinion, parents should refrain from giving their children phones during their school years. The person who harassed her online is really cruel”, a village elder told Narinjara.
Ma San San Htay has five brothers, and from a young age, she exhibited boyish behavior and had a strong passion for playing football, Sar Pyin Gyi villagers said.
Her body was cremated at the Sar Pyi Gyi village cemetery on November 3rd at approximately 10:30 AM.