Writer reveals he considered suicide during his darkest days in prison
Speaking of his time behind bars, freed journalist Ching Cheong revealed that he had once thought of ending his life in his darkest days.
'Once you're caught in a downward psychological spiral, that can be the end of it, that is, to commit suicide,' he said during yesterday's press gathering at the Foreign Correspondents' Club.
He told fellow journalists his lowest emotional point came when he was detained in late August 2005. 'When I was formally arrested and handcuffed, when the door of the cell was shut with a loud bang, my heart was broken,' he said.
'I was so depressed that I doubted every single value that I had treasured in my life, like patriotism, honesty and poise. These values I upheld seemed to have betrayed me.'
Ching found comfort in reading philosophical and religious writings, including the Bible, Buddhist classics and the I Ching, an ancient Chinese text also called Book of Changes.