October 17, 2025
KUALA LUMPUR – She was polite, kind and always ready to help, says schoolmate Adam Maulana in paying his last respects to 16-year-old Yap Shin Xuen, who was killed in a tragic stabbing incident at SMK Bandar Utama 4 on Tuesday (Oct 14).
The 15-year-old said he still could not believe that his classmate and friend, whom he had known since Form One, was gone.
“She was a very polite girl. She never raised her voice, and she liked helping others. Last year, she was the class assistant, and I was the class monitor.
“We worked closely together. She was a good student and a very nice person,” he said when met at Nirvana Center KL (NCKL) on Thursday (Oct 16).
Adam recalled that on the day of the incident, the class was preparing for an examination when Yap asked to go to the washroom.
“She left the class and didn’t come back for about 20 minutes. Then our teacher went out to check the corridor. After that, the teacher saw the suspect at the school courtyard holding a knife,” he said.
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He said the teacher immediately told everyone to stay in class and lock the doors.
“At that time, I was in my classroom on the third floor. The suspect was downstairs at the courtyard. The toilet is on the ground floor, and his classroom is also on that level,” he recalled.
Adam said many students were in shock after learning that Yap had been attacked in the washroom.
“I felt so sad. She didn’t deserve this. She was such a good person,” he said.
He added that Yap did not know the suspect personally.
“She didn’t know him at all. I’ve never seen them talking before. We don’t know the boy either,” he said.
Adam said that following the incident, the school conducted a spot check on students’ bags and provided counselling sessions for traumatised students.
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“After the incident, I didn’t go to school for a few days. Many of us were too shaken. The school provided counselling sessions for all students,” he said.
He added that teachers and the suspect’s brother had helped to restrain the suspect after the attack.
“I’m not sure who caught him first, but I know it was a teacher and a senior student,” he said.
Yap, a Form Three student, died after being stabbed by a 14-year-old male schoolmate during school hours. The attack occurred at about 9.30am on Tuesday.
Police have arrested the suspect, who has been remanded for seven days to assist in the investigation.
The victim’s wake is being held at Nirvana Center KL (NCKL), Level 3, Imperial Memorial Hall, from Thursday (Oct 16) for five days to allow relatives, friends and schoolmates to pay their last respects.