2009-05-26 06:38:23 - Beware of hand shaking strangers when you’re standing on the ledge of a bridge.

The traffic was backed up for miles, due to the closure of the Haizhu bridge, in the city of Guangzhou, China, for nearly five hours, while a suicidal, heavily in debt man couldn’t make up his mind whether to jump or not.

Lai Jianshen a pedestrian, pushed his way through the police cordon and walked up to shake suicidal Chen Fuchao’s hand.Those watching probably expected Lai to talk Chen away from the ledge. Instead, Lai shook Chen’s hand and quickly gave Chen a hard push, assisting him off the bridge, saluting Chen as he fell.

“I pushed him because people like Chen are very selfish". Their action violates a lot of public interest, said Lai Jiansheng. “They do not really dare

to kill themselves. Instead, they just want to raise the relevant government authorities' attention to their appeals".

Chen was desperate, having accrued 2 million yuan ($290,000) of debt over a failed construction project. Chen fell eight metres off the bridge, landing on a partially inflated emergency air cushion. Since April, eleven other people had tried to take their lives by contemplating jumping off the bridge.

The police released Len on bail, having held him overnight. Len was on medication for some kind of ’mental illness’ and was on his way to the hospital for his pills, when he stopped to shake Chen’s hand.

Chen is recovering in hospital after suffering spinal and elbow injuries.

What is the difference between assisting a suicidal man and someone assisting a loved one in euthanasia? Is it a criminal offense? Questions are being asked whether Len is to be placed on a small retainer, as a deterrent to other would be bridge-suiciders.

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