Ministry of Defense COI on death of Aloysius Pang
The Committee of Inquiry into the death of Aloysius Pang found that the three NS men in the tank breached safety rules and their lapses lead to the death of one of them, namely Aloysius Pang. It seemed to suggest that they were responsibe for this accident.

I do not believe that these three NS men were deliberately careless or rash. 

Quite likely, they had forgotten about the safety rules. It is difficult for them to remember the rules after a long time gap from their full time training. 

The defense minister and the people in the upper echelons of the Singapore Armed Forces should ask the question - are they putting the NS reservists to unnecessary exposure to this kind of dangerous training?

After a long gap from full time training, the NS reservists has to focus on his career and on starting his family or looking after a toddler. They cannot pay full attention to the dangers that come from military training that simulate a live conflict.

It is a different situation for a full time soldier who has to live by the exposure daily and the safety measures can become second nature to them.

I suggest that reservist training should be restricted to 3 or 5 years after completion of full time military training. I am not an expert on this issue so I suggest that can should learn from the practice and experience of other countries on the training of conscripts.

During times of hostility, the reservists can be called for extensive refresher training. As there is a real threat, they are likely to focus on the training and reduce the risk of lapses in safety.

The death of Aloysius Pang will not be wasted if it leads to a significant change in the approach towards reservist training that will benefit the future generation of our young male citizens.

Tan Kin Lian

Vote - do you agree that reservist training should be reduced to 3 or 5 years after full time military training?
 

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