'Greater accountability needed from SAF'
Today online Sep 18, 2012
SINGAPORE - Her son, Lee Rui Feng Dominique Sarron had died in April in a military training exercise. Last week, Madam Felicia Seah wrote an open letter - which was posted on a Facebook page set up in memory of her 21-year-old son - urging "all parents of Singaporean sons to stand with me, to advocate for greater accountability" from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) "for the safety of our sons".
Recalling how her world "collapsed" when she learnt of her son's death, Mdm Seah claimed it would have been averted if his superiors had paid heed to his condition.
"It is clear to my family and me that my son's death was preventable. He was asthmatic. The incident that cost him his life was an urban training exercise involving smoke bombs in a confined area," said Mdm Seah.
As of yesterday, the impassioned letter was shared on the social networking site more than 280 times and was "liked" by more than 900 users.
Among other things, it called for "more thorough screening" of the medical history of enlistees and "more stringent monitoring of staff who oversee (full-time national servicemen), to weed out abuse of power at all levels".
Mdm Seah wrote: "We cannot allow for our sons to be at the mercy of the training officers ... who are very often little older and none the wiser than the boys they are tasked to oversee, boys whose lives often depend on the decisions that they make."
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) is awaiting the findings of its investigations. In response to TODAY's queries, MINDEF Director Public Affairs, Colonel Kenneth Liow, said that the ministry and the SAF "would like to again express our deepest condolences to Mdm Seah and her family" on Mr Lee's death.
MINDEF's Family Liaison Officer "has been in regular contact" with Mdm Seah and her family, and the SAF "remains committed to assisting the family and providing them the necessary support during this difficult time", Col Liow said.
Stressing that safety is a top priority for MINDEF and the SAF, he added: "Every incident resulting in injury or death is painful to us and gets top management attention. We will learn from every incident to continually improve our safety system to ensure high standards of training safety."
Last month, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced that MINDEF is conducting a broad review of its medical support system, including its Medical Classification and Screening System.
Cardiologist Leslie Lam told TODAY that the screening should involve ultrasound scanning of the hearts of enlistees. This would identify underlying conditions which a normal electro-cardiogram (ECG) - currently a part of the screening system - would not pick up.
However, each ultrasound scanner costs about S$250,000 and Dr Clarence Yeo, a general practitioner, pointed out that cost could be an issue.
Still, he agreed that more needs to be done in screening certain parts of the body, such as the respiratory system and muscular-skeletal structure.
It is unfortunate for any NS boys to die during his service, more so if it is due the MINDEF trying to cut proper screening of Singaporean boys because of cost.
What is $250,000 is to MINDEF? For God’s sake a bloody missile cost more then this and I think lot of its senior officers earn more then this annually.
The least MINDEF could do for its soldiers is to provide a proper screening for its soldiers so to reduce the risk of death or serious injury to the minimum.
Saving life should be the top priority, not saving cost.
If Hsien Loong is to be enlisted today, do you think MINDEF will casually put him through the normal health screening?
A life is a life, don’t think one is worth more then the other.
Showing posts with label MINDEF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MINDEF. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Friday, October 21, 2011
Shocking quality of our defence minister.
All NS men treated equally regardless of background: Ng Eng Hen
20 October 2011
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said his ministry is acutely aware that all NS men must be treated equally, regardless of their background.
Dr Ng said the equal treatment for national service has been and must remain a cardinal principle, because without strict adherence to this fundamental tenet, the commitment to NS will be severely eroded and the institution of NS weakened.
Replying to questions in Parliament on the disruption of Dr Patrick Tan, the son of President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Dr Ng said the disruption was in accordance with prevailing policies to obtain his medical degree. Also, a longer period was granted to those admitted to US medical schools.
He assured Singaporeans that neither Dr Patrick Tan, nor any other individual who has disrupted, was given any preferential treatment because of their "connections".
Dr Ng said the policy to allow full time national servicemen to disrupt for medical studies in Singapore dates back to 1973. However, he added that from 1992, disruption for overseas medical studies was no longer allowed as the number of local medical graduates had met SAF's needs.
Dr Patrick Tan deferred his NS for 12 years for a PhD. He re-enlisted in 2000 after having obtained both his medical degree and PhD, and was deployed to the Defence Medical Research Institute in view of his training.
Dr Ng said: "There was no preferential treatment given to Patrick Tan, or any other individual who has disrupted, because of their 'connections'. Let me emphasise to all, including commanders on the ground, that no NS man should be accorded preferential treatment.
"I would like to further assure Singaporeans that Mindef implements a policy of selective disruption for university studies fairly and openly, in accordance with existing criteria. Mindef shall henceforth publish the list of all those disrupted for university (education) annually on a routine basis for public scrutiny."
Isn’t it amazing that the sort of crabs one can says.
Can MINDEF please explain why did you ask me to declare do I have a relative in the SAF and if so what is his/her rank on the first day of my recruit life if there is no preference treatment?
Oh I forgot Cedric Foo answered that a few years ago, he practically said MINDEF indentified white horses so to ENSURE they will not be given preference treatment.
Dumb ass! If really no preference treatment, there should not be any identification at all so commanders have to be fair to each and every soldier.
Ng Eng Hen is beating around the bush here when trying to explain Toni’s Son case.
Basically he just blamed it on old policies.
He failed to explain base on what did Patrick was granted his disruption, he failed to give a statistic on how many applied and rejected during that periods and who is in the committee that review these.
Was Tony Tan the then Minister of Defence in the reviewing committee? If not did the committee know Patrick was Toni’s Son?
This is important as, Gosh! Who will reject your boss son’s application you tell me.
Eng Hen also failed to tell us how many other were given a 12 years deferrer and how many others were posted to Defence Medical Research doing lab work while attaining a Sergeant rank during National Service.
Was this post specially created for Patrick? If not which other NSF were in this position before and after Patrick and please do also tell us what Patrick contributed during his time there.
We are not stupid like you Eng Hen.
20 October 2011
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said his ministry is acutely aware that all NS men must be treated equally, regardless of their background.
Dr Ng said the equal treatment for national service has been and must remain a cardinal principle, because without strict adherence to this fundamental tenet, the commitment to NS will be severely eroded and the institution of NS weakened.
Replying to questions in Parliament on the disruption of Dr Patrick Tan, the son of President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Dr Ng said the disruption was in accordance with prevailing policies to obtain his medical degree. Also, a longer period was granted to those admitted to US medical schools.
He assured Singaporeans that neither Dr Patrick Tan, nor any other individual who has disrupted, was given any preferential treatment because of their "connections".
Dr Ng said the policy to allow full time national servicemen to disrupt for medical studies in Singapore dates back to 1973. However, he added that from 1992, disruption for overseas medical studies was no longer allowed as the number of local medical graduates had met SAF's needs.
Dr Patrick Tan deferred his NS for 12 years for a PhD. He re-enlisted in 2000 after having obtained both his medical degree and PhD, and was deployed to the Defence Medical Research Institute in view of his training.
Dr Ng said: "There was no preferential treatment given to Patrick Tan, or any other individual who has disrupted, because of their 'connections'. Let me emphasise to all, including commanders on the ground, that no NS man should be accorded preferential treatment.
"I would like to further assure Singaporeans that Mindef implements a policy of selective disruption for university studies fairly and openly, in accordance with existing criteria. Mindef shall henceforth publish the list of all those disrupted for university (education) annually on a routine basis for public scrutiny."
Isn’t it amazing that the sort of crabs one can says.
Can MINDEF please explain why did you ask me to declare do I have a relative in the SAF and if so what is his/her rank on the first day of my recruit life if there is no preference treatment?
Oh I forgot Cedric Foo answered that a few years ago, he practically said MINDEF indentified white horses so to ENSURE they will not be given preference treatment.
Dumb ass! If really no preference treatment, there should not be any identification at all so commanders have to be fair to each and every soldier.
Ng Eng Hen is beating around the bush here when trying to explain Toni’s Son case.
Basically he just blamed it on old policies.
He failed to explain base on what did Patrick was granted his disruption, he failed to give a statistic on how many applied and rejected during that periods and who is in the committee that review these.
Was Tony Tan the then Minister of Defence in the reviewing committee? If not did the committee know Patrick was Toni’s Son?
This is important as, Gosh! Who will reject your boss son’s application you tell me.
Eng Hen also failed to tell us how many other were given a 12 years deferrer and how many others were posted to Defence Medical Research doing lab work while attaining a Sergeant rank during National Service.
Was this post specially created for Patrick? If not which other NSF were in this position before and after Patrick and please do also tell us what Patrick contributed during his time there.
We are not stupid like you Eng Hen.
Friday, March 06, 2009
How SAF haress NS-men long after their ROD.
I did not take my IPPT during my last in-camp in Oct 2008 as I was still awaiting my FFI result. The SAF system know I am not allow to take the IPPT until I am FFI cleared. Wow! Quite impressed with MINDEF.
I was cleared of my FFI in Dec 2008 and my IPPT window will close in May 2009.
Sometime in Dec, I received 2 SMS from MINDEF automated system reminding me to clear my IPPT by May 2009.
I check the on-line NS portal then and as what I suspected, my unit has not update my FFI status so MINDEF is still sending me these SMS reminder. Note I can’t even book my IPPT date since my FFI is not clear. Wow! The system so advance.
So I called my unit up and finally MINDEF system was update in Jan 2009 and I booked my IPPT test in Apr 2009.
Thinking this will be automatically updated the MINDEF Super Advance system?
Wrong!
I still keep getting these stupid MINDEF’s SMS reminding me to clear my IPPT before May 2009.
Gosh! I can’t do that now stupid! My IPPT test is in April!!
I was cleared of my FFI in Dec 2008 and my IPPT window will close in May 2009.
Sometime in Dec, I received 2 SMS from MINDEF automated system reminding me to clear my IPPT by May 2009.
I check the on-line NS portal then and as what I suspected, my unit has not update my FFI status so MINDEF is still sending me these SMS reminder. Note I can’t even book my IPPT date since my FFI is not clear. Wow! The system so advance.
So I called my unit up and finally MINDEF system was update in Jan 2009 and I booked my IPPT test in Apr 2009.
Thinking this will be automatically updated the MINDEF Super Advance system?
Wrong!
I still keep getting these stupid MINDEF’s SMS reminding me to clear my IPPT before May 2009.
Gosh! I can’t do that now stupid! My IPPT test is in April!!
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