新加坡验尸官判定美国人托德系自杀

 

Shane Todd, 31, who had been working for a government research body, was found dead at his home in June 2012. 

 

His death was registered as suicide, but his parents alleged¹ he was killed over a project related to sensitive technology. 

 

The coroner ruled that "there was no foul² play". The US has described the inquiry³ as "fair and transparent⁴".

 

Mr Todd died of "asphyxia（窒息） due to hanging", the inquest concluded.

 

The verdict in the case - which attracted considerable attention after Mr Todd's parents contested police findings and campaigned for an investigation⁵ - is final and cannot be appealed against. 

 

 

Mr Todd had just left a job at a state-owned research organisation⁶, Singapore Institute of Microelectronics (IME), at the time of his death. 

 

His parents alleged he was working on a project linked to China's telecoms giant, Huawei, involving sensitive semiconductor⁷ technology, and that his death was the result of foul play linked to the project.

 

Both Mr Todd's former employer and Huawei - last year named a potential national security threat by a US Congressional committee because of fears over links to China's government and military - rejected this, saying they had been involved in preliminary talks on a project that did not get off the ground. 

 

The court also said that the project had not materialised.

 

"Even if it did, which I did not find, the listed specifications⁸ show it would not have violated general export control laws, nor could it have been used for military applications," District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said.

 

"The deceased was not in possession of confidential⁹ and valuable classified information in the course of his employment at the IME," he added.

 

Instead the coroner found that the evidence showed "beyond a reasonable doubt" that Mr Todd had killed himself. 

 

Mr Todd, who had suffered from depression in the past, had been described by witnesses as being under considerable stress in the weeks leading up to his death.

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