Gili Island Earthquake
On 5 August 2018, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Lombok, affecting the nearby Gili Islands, destroying homes and leaving thousands injured, and more than 500 dead.
Unlike most panicked tourists who tried to get off Gili Trawangan, professional dive instructor Tay Suyi chose to forgo the last evacuation boat. Instead, she joined about 30 other foreigners to help the injured and remove the debris.
Alongside locals, the group formed teams to deal with plumbing issues, electricity supply, and hygiene. As part of the hygiene squad, Suyi cleared out rotting food to prevent pest infestations.
Suyi also put her Emergency First Response training to use, by bandaging the bleeding, setting up drips, and fetching supplies for the medical personnel.
“No one is being paid to do any of this… they’re doing so much there just to get the island back to normal,” says Suyi. “It shows you the good in people.”
For Suyi, she stayed because “it’s one of those places where it’s home, you know. You don’t leave home if shit goes down.”
And in such times of disaster, Suyi’s undeniably brave and generous actions should be applauded.
While most local netizens gave her a “thumbs up man”, a significant group of horndogs are working themselves into a tizzy over her visible cleavage.
What people are saying
On the CNA Facebook post, most commended her for her actions. A small minority chose to talk about how she was “hot” and “only did CPR for handsome” patients.
On Reddit, the discussion was primarily focused on her boobs and how they “10/10 would bang”.
One user mentioned most Singaporeans have their “friends, relatives, and colleagues” on Facebook, which is probably why there weren’t as many comments about Suyi’s chest on the platform.
And of course, in forums, the comments took on a whole new level of messed up.
One user commented, “I can see her longkang quite deep. Cup C at least.” To which another replied, “breastfeed the small kids there lor… those lucky brats”.
There was also criticism of how Suyi didn’t “have any skill to do anything useful and constructive” in response to how she removed old food from restaurants, houses, and buildings.
To which another user counselled “give her some credit lah … even if she remained behind as eye-candy (or more) for the rest of the Angmo also helping in some way.”
For those who want more toilet reading material, you can check out the forum here.
Other points of contention
Also judging from some comments left on the news video and articles, Singapore might still be suffering some sort of leftover colonial complex.
On the CNA Insider Youtube video, she was called out for her accent.
And of course, there were those who insinuated she was playing up to the Caucasians. Because obviously, the only reason she stayed was to score a hot, white boyfriend.
Focusing On Good Deeds
But like this user argued:
So we say, leave Suyi alone. She’s trying to “bring things back to how it was” on the island and doesn’t need 20938498 men praising her cup size. She’s doing something good for a place she cares about and that itself is reward enough.
Also read:
Cover image: Photo by Alfred Minnaar
