Five full-time national servicemen (NSF) are being investigated for leaking photos of the recent accident at the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) training ground involving a Bionix vehicle which resulted in the death of a transport operator, Corporal First Class (CFC) Liu Kai.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) filed a police report against the five NSFs for taking photos of the accident and circulating them on social media.
The photo, which was shared on the SG Road Vigilante (SGRV) Facebook page shows a Bionix vehicle on top of a crush Land Rover which CFC Liu Kiu was in. The image also shows SCDF personnel and an ambulance in the background.
According to SCDF, the unauthorised photos were taken by two of the NSFs who responded to the accident at the Jalan Murai Training Area on 3rd Nov. They then forwarded the photo to their fellow NSF via WhatsApp who then forwarded it to their friends. Subsequently, one of the photos ended up making the rounds on social media.
A spokesperson for SCDF said, “SCDF takes a serious view of the matter and has filed a police report against the five NSFs for their unauthorised actions”.
On 3rd November, MINDEF released a statement on the incident saying that CPC Liu was operating the Land Rover as part of a training exercise when the Bionix vehicle reversed into the Land Rover. CPC Liu lost consciousness and was tended to by an on-site medic before being SAF Emergency Ambulance service arrive. He was pronounced dead about 25 minutes after the accident.
On top of the ongoing police investigations and an independent Committee of Inquiry (COI) into the circumstances leading to the accident, MINDEF is also looking into the leaked photos. In response to a question from Channel NewsAsia, the ministry said “All personnel provided access to SAF training grounds are subject to the restrictions placed on unauthorised photography or videography. Offenders will be prosecuted to ensure that these strict rules to guard our security are not compromised.”
