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Asian diary

Suicide Rock

BY ARJUNA
T 7 is a beautiful rock I ,>. .mono tv tint off J. Beirut s Mediterranean seafront Here, lovers hold hands, listen to romantic music wafting from many open-air restaurants and nightclubs all around the area or simply gaze into each other's eyes
e But don't be fooled by the general atmosphere of serenity and contentment The place is also the final destination of the unhappy, the frustrated, and. the broken-hearted, thus, earning it the grim title of "Suicide Rock"
Here at the Rock, at least 15 people have so far lumped off to their death during the first months of this year. De spondency, probably made more acute by the happy faces of other people, has driven these hapless few to make that big leap off the rock Down below, the sea is so deep that only a few man aged to escape almost instan taneous death once the jump is made
Despite the tragedies associated with Roche (as The Rock is known to the natives) or may be because of them it has leflt its name to the entire area adjacent to it where many restaurants, bars,
disco houses and other places of entertainment have been set up A favourite activity of most tourists and visitors is to pose with the Rock as back dron as the sun begins to set In the distance one can easily see the Mediterranean Sea
Suicide Rock has a twin close by It is a rough, boot-shaped rock formation with the toe almost reaching its twin But it does not attract the same number of visitors as The Rock and its almost bare top gives it an air of inno cence unaffected by the tragedies witnessed by the other rock.
It enhances, however, the holiday mood in the area as the narrow waterway separat ing the two rocks serves as venue for sports activities like water skiing, swimming and boat surfing
Meanwhile, despite the tragic tales of Suicide Rock, it
continues to lure lovers, honeymooners and plain tourists, especially in early summer Tne Rock is even quite popular in Lebanon although not as widely known as Denmark s "Little Mermaid"
To most Beirut residents, in fact, the Rock's attraction seems to be the sad storks of unhappy and unlucky lovers who ended their misery by jumping off the Roche. Customers at the many restau rants near it seem not to mind having their meals interrupted by the wailing of sirens of fire-brigade cars or ambulances rksnmg to the Rock
They would perhaps pause from their eating jostle with the other curious people for a better view of the victim, then shake their heads in resignation as they ponder the thought that tne Rock had probably claimed another life.
They know there is absolutely no hope of reviving anyone who lumps off the Rock
But people are not only taking their own lives in the Roche • A growing number now have theirs taken from them unwillingly as the incidence of murder recorded by the police rises A cunning murderer will find little difficulty in committing a crime He knows perfectly well the attraction the Rock has for the romantic and the idealistic
Records at the local police station list several cases of murder where the methods used to eliminate the victim seemed to follow a similar pattern
The suspect with murder in his heart usually entices his unfortunate victim to the edge of the rock There he en gages the victim in small talk, and while he or she is distracted, the murderer quietly sidles up to the unsuspecting person, then gives him or her a slight push from behind
The sound of a body splashmc down to the sea below is barely muted before the killer finally vanishes in the dark shrouding the path ways criss-crossing the Rock
Depthnews Asia