Four army commandos have been charged in court with causing the death of a NSman during training last year.

19-year-old Second Sergeant Hu Enhuai died during combat survival training on Pulau Tekong.

The four soldiers have also been charged with nearly drowning another trainee.

If found guilty on both charges, each faces a maximum of four years behind bars.

Hu was attending a combat survival course last August when his commando trainers dunked his head underwater repeatedly.

Hu died from asphyxia and near drowning.

After 10 months of investigation, two commando lieutenants, a warrant officer and the captain who was supervising the course, were charged with causing Hu's death.

27-year-old Lieutenant Ng Chin Fong and 28-year-old Lieutenant Divanandhari were accused of pushing Hu's head into a tub of water several times, holding his head underwater for up to 20 seconds each time, preventing him from surfacing to breathe and digging his nose so he could not hold his breath underwater.

34-year-old Captain Pandiaraj Mayandi was accused of abetting in Hu's death by instigating the trainers, while 45-year-old Warrant Officer Balakrishnan was charged with failing to stop them.

The four were also charged with endangering the life of 26-year-old Captain Ho Wan Huo, another trainee on the same course.

Ho was also dunked.

He suffered acute respiratory distress and nearly drowned.

The defence lawyers of three of the accused have asked for the bail amount of $15,000 to be reduced to $10,000.

They cited the fact that the men have been receiving only half their salaries since they were suspended from duty.

But their request was not granted.

Family members of Sergeant Hu were in court as the charges were read out.

In a statement, Hu's father said the family still grieve the loss of Enhuai and this remains a particularly difficult period for them.

He hopes the trial will uncover the truth about what and who caused his son's death, and justice will take its course.

"The AG Chambers is an independant authority to decide on prosecutions and they will pursue the case in a manner which they think is most fit. At the same time, the personnel charged have the ability to defend themselves with lawyers to the best of their ability. So, this is a fair and open system, a transparent system," said Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean.

The four men have hired their own lawyers, and although they can apply to the Defence Ministry for legal aid, they have not done so.

Sergeant Hu's death and subsequent revelations that such unauthorised training has been going on for more than 5 years, have also led to the removal of the Chief Commando Officer Colonel Noel Cheah.

But the Defence Minister is confident that with new commanders in place, the elite troops are now focused on the future.

Rear Adm Teo said: "I'm confident this unit, which is a good unit, will pull itself through and excel in what it does."

The names of three other commando trainers are also listed in the charges read out but it's not known if they too will be charged soon.

The case will be back in court on 22 June. - CNA

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/89012/1/.html

Somehow I had a feeling Balakrishnan was involved when I first heard about the death. Everybody from my company took a real dislike to him, especially his rude attitude towards the specialists and officers. Several people were even kicked by him during the interrogation and toture periods. Even though we were blindfolded, his laughter and voice was easily recognizable.

Despite such incidents, I still say the course was a good experience and should be reinstated. No disrespect to the deceased's family but sh*t happens. As CPT Miller rationalised in Saving Private Ryan: One life lost may have helped save the lives of many others and so on so forth.

jus curious – i think one whole batch of trainees kanna-ed from the foursome. why is it that they were not charged for every single one of them?

so… no mention of those bastards being DRUNK also? my my my… isin’t it supposed to be the truth, and nothing but the WHOLE truth?

The report fails to note that Pandiaraj had only taken over as course commander just before the incident. By the logic that, being in that situation, he had abetted the actions that led to Sgt Hu's drowning, the following should also be brought up on charges:

- Chief Commando Officer
- Chief of Army
- Chief of Defence forces
- Minister of Defence

Somehow, though, in RADM Teo's hypocritical publicity exercise, I doubt this will happen.

hmm. i guess. when ppl are given certain degrees of power and authority. it usually tempts the user to abuse it

Originally posted by HENG@:

so... no mention of those bastards being DRUNK also? my my my... isin't it supposed to be the truth, and nothing but the WHOLE truth?

the others were named in the trial.

Originally posted by Gedanken:

The report fails to note that Pandiaraj had only taken over as course commander just before the incident. By the logic that, being in that situation, he had abetted the actions that led to Sgt Hu's drowning, the following should also be brought up on charges:

- Chief Commando Officer
- Chief of Army
- Chief of Defence forces
- Minister of Defence

Somehow, though, in RADM Teo's hypocritical publicity exercise, I doubt this will happen.

i dont think having just taken over the position is any excuse or reason for additional charges.

and well, the buck has to stop somewhere. i seriously dont think there is any reason to charge anyone higher than mabbe the former chief of cdos.

Commandos charged over teen's death
Trainee died during 'dunking' exercise and another soldier was injured; four accused are named for the first time

By Selina Lum and David Boey

THE infamous dunking incident that led to the death of a 19-year-old full-time national serviceman last year and an overhaul of the army's training regimen has reached the courts.

Another soldier, Captain Ho Wan Huo, 26, survived. Five others were injured in the incident last Aug 21.

Yesterday, as 2nd Sgt Hu's two brothers and their mother looked on, all four appeared before District Judge Wong Choon Ning and had the charges read out to them.

This was the first time that the men accused of involvement in the tragedy had been publicly identified. They are Captain Pandiaraj Mayandi, 33; Lieutenant Ng Chin Fong, 27; Lieutenant Divanandhari Ambat Chandrasekharan, 28; and Warrant Officer S. Balakrishnan, 45.

Each is charged with causing 2nd Sgt Hu's death by a rash act; and causing grievous hurt to Capt Ho by a rash act that endangered his life.

All four accused had been suspended from duty at different times.

According to the charges:

Pandiaraj, supervising officer of the Combat Survival Training Course and the Officer Commanding of the Commando Training Wing of the School of Commando, ordered the drill.

He told the instructors to hold the trainees' heads under water four times, for up to 20 seconds each time.

Ng and Divanandhari held the trainees' heads under water. They repeatedly held 2nd Sgt Hu's head in a tub of water, for up to 20 seconds each time, 'digging his nose' to keep him from holding his breath, according to court documents.

They stopped him from surfacing to breathe, causing him to 'suffer death by asphyxia and near drowning'.

They are accused of doing the same to Capt Ho, causing him to suffer 'near drowning with acute respiratory distress syndrome'.

Balakrishnan, the course commander, could have stopped it, but he did not.

A Mindef spokesman told The Straits Times yesterday that Capt Ho has since recovered.

Separate SAF and police investigations were launched after the tragedy which was described as 'a stain on the reputation of the SAF' by Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who promised to get to the bottom of things.

As investigations got underway, Chief Commando Officer Colonel Noel Cheah was removed from his job.

Army investigators pored over some 20,000 lesson plans and training safety regulations to re-assess their safety aspects. Hotlines were put in for SAF personnel to report safety breaches.

The case has now been fixed for a pre-trial conference on June 22. All four commandos are represented, Ng and Divanandhari by the same lawyer. All are out on bail of $15,000 each.

The maximum penalty possible is two years' jail and a fine on each charge.

The prosecution alleges that these offences were committed with three other men, named in court documents as Toh Keng Tiong, Tan Tien Huat and Shashi Kumar. The Defence Ministry was unable to give details on them.

Asked if other commandos would face charges, Rear-Adm Teo said yesterday that it was for the Attorney-General to decide.

'This is a fair and open system, a transparent system, and I think it will give Singaporeans the assurance that we will deal with issues openly, transparently, and the law will take its course,' he said.

According to the charges:

Pandiaraj, supervising officer of the Combat Survival Training Course and the Officer Commanding of the Commando Training Wing of the School of Commando, ordered the drill.

If it is true that he ordered the drill , or he was aware of the drill, then he truly deserve the charge.

The CCO, in my opinion, is a scapegoat.

By the way, how come the Captain went through CST? If he started out as an elite (eg. scout PC), shouldn't he went through when he was 2LT?

Originally posted by wuming78:

i dont think having just taken over the position is any excuse or reason for additional charges.

and well, the buck has to stop somewhere. i seriously dont think there is any reason to charge anyone higher than mabbe the former chief of cdos.

I think,this puts the goverment in another point,this excerise has been going on for years and goverment did not place any strict rules and punishment if any death or accident should occur.

Puppy

Originally posted by Icemoon:

By the way, how come the Captain went through CST? If he started out as an elite (eg. scout PC), shouldn't he went through when he was 2LT?

nothing out of the norm - no need to be special or elite. degree holders are LTA on commission and become CPT after one year. there are also PCs holding CPT ranks - also degree holders. so if they miss the course while they were LTA they would go when they are CPT lor.

Personally I felt that its tough to strike a balance in being safe and not lowering the standards of training.

Not saying what they did was right but then how should the training be done safely yet pushing the trainees to the limit.

Before go into war,already got people kanna killed.How to carry on this kind of training? Bad practice shall be stopped!

no offense... i think tat tough training should not be removed from the army.. u notice recently the training is not tat tough in saf?
not tat safety issues should be ignored though.

What a load of crap.

Regardless of the circumstances, how could Bala be charged with "failing to stop it"? Teo Chee Hean was Minister of Defence, and HE failed to stop it - he ought to be charged too.

"A transparent system" my arse! Fair enough that the two lieutenants directly involved in the dunking be charged, but to take it any further than that would necessarily involve putting CoA, CDF and Teo himself under scrutiny. Why stop at Bala and Pandiaraj? Why isn't Teo Chee Hean out on bail?

You'd have to be Helen Keller to see that charging Pandiaraj and Bala has turned this sorry affair into a kangaroo court. It would be fine if they had either not charged these two men, or taken it all the way to the top. However, stopping at this point shows that this is nothing but a publicity exercise for Teo Chee Hean and his mob of vultures. The only thing transparent here is their hypocrisy.

You cannot fire up these warriors (with realistic training etc) and not let them go........it's unrealistic and kind of sadistic too.......

At some point, a decision has to be made to commit troops to action. It's what they are conditioned for anyway.

This is the root of the problem - You train them hard and even harder -sooner or later they demand to know what is it coming to?!

This may be less of a problem with the other units but even then, some of my guardsmen colleagues are asking "Why not them in East Timor?"

Sorry for someone had to die during such training. To me it all fated.

Commandos or not, INSTRUCTORS now adays get charged EZ-ly for doing the job. Trainee of today need not die during training but just some harsh words from the instructor, that instructor can get into big sxxt.

As for advance course like this case, those who had gone through it knows better. Trainee dun really complain during training unless it is personal between trainer and trainee, even so ppl just want to complete the course and get back to own unit.

Maybe of the long peace we enjoyed, ppl dun see the need for this kind of training anymore.

Originally posted by Gedanken:

What a load of crap.

Regardless of the circumstances, how could Bala be charged with "failing to stop it"? Teo Chee Hean was Minister of Defence, and HE failed to stop it - he ought to be charged too.

Unfair comparison. Bala saw the act been committed or had first hand knowledge. The Defence Minister didn't.

You don't show soldiers being tortured sadistically [to the point of death] if ministers are to visit the CST training.

Originally posted by Icemoon:

Unfair comparison. Bala saw the act been committed or had first hand knowledge. The Defence Minister didn't.

You don't show soldiers being tortured sadistically [to the point of death] if ministers are to visit the CST training.

"Ignorance is no excuse" is a clause that is used so often in cases involving the SAF, it may as well become part of the preamble to any charge hearing.

The posts here and in other related threads show that we posters, the common people, are not surprised that any of this had happened. Can we honestly expect that a Rear Admiral, who has spent a few decades in the military, had no idea that any of this was going on? Why did he not investigate and stop it?

None of what had happened can reasonably be argued to have been completely unknown to the powers-that-be. Even knowing only as much as us common folk, there would already have been enough impetus to start looking into it well before Sgt Hu died. It's a fair comparison.

The fact is someone has died. And where the bucks stops is kind of secondary here. We need to see some accountability, and we need to see some 'punishment' to atone for the 'crime'. If there's a car accident involving a drunk driver, you don't sue all the way to the car manufacturer and LTA right? You just make sure the driver pays for it. Then you think of all the new laws that should be passed down. In the mean time you make sure that you make this case so visible and scary that people are detered from drunk driving. This is what is happening now.

The debate on how tough the trainings should be and how far limits should be pushed, I don't really think it applies here. The fact is that the training was abused. And of all ranks, officers should know better. And if they think that abusing trainees is a fun thing to do in the morality that it toughens the trainees up, then I think all the more the punishment needs to be compounded. Face it, instructors abusing trainees is more a matter of ego than good intentions.

If we don't draw the lines very clearly, then there's really no end to it. Who's to say that survival training will not expand to sexual assaults and drugs - all this just to prove a point? Then why not we introduce the wet towel torture and the force water feeding torture just to prove a point that realistic training is really 'realistic' training?

Accidents is one thing. Homocide is another. We know that there are risks in operating heavy machinery, jumping out of planes and handling live ordnance. Yes, accidents happen. Even the highly regulated construction industry with professional engineers and constant safety checks cannot prevent accidents. But you don't see engineers walking around the construction site wipping the indian worker to work faster - its not building the pyramids.
What we have to do is to make sure that the mentality of the instructors is not one of ego and abusing trainees. Its worse if the trainee has this thinking at the back of his mind that he's NSF, serve his 2.5 years, suffer the abuse for the course and then ROD and forget about it. It only compounds the whole mentality.
Its a very fine line and there are many grey areas - I know. But my parting statement is that we cannot allow and accept abuses.

Originally posted by vleelee:

The fact is someone has died. And where the bucks stops is kind of secondary here. We need to see some accountability, and we need to see some 'punishment' to atone for the 'crime'. If there's a car accident involving a drunk driver, you don't sue all the way to the car manufacturer and LTA right? You just make sure the driver pays for it. Then you think of all the new laws that should be passed down. In the mean time you make sure that you make this case so visible and scary that people are detered from drunk driving. This is what is happening now.

My point exactly. The two lieutenants are the drunk drivers in your example. What do the other two have to do with it? They're not the ones who did the actual dunking/driving.

However, the powers-that-be seem to want to go down the track of going up the line here, but they seem to selectively stop at a point where that line of logic is not carried so far as to do harm to themselves. Teo Chee Hean wants to have the OC and course commander charged, but if you draw along that line, it leads right back to him. It's obvious that Teo's covering his own arse, isn't he? Typical bloody politician.

What I am pointing out is that by conducting the case in this cowardly way, RADM Teo is making a public farce of Sgt Hu's death.

I agree with you on Teo's cowardly way in handling this matter. Seems that LTA, MOE and MINDEF will always be in the -ve limelight of the media. These 3 particluar bodies are controlled by politicians, not by leadership in the respective fields.

The more I read the article, the more fuming mad I become. But can someone enlighten me on the part of 'keep digging his nose so that he cannot hold his breath under water'? I can't quite visualise this.

Originally posted by Gedanken:

The posts here and in other related threads show that we posters, the common people, are not surprised that any of this had happened. Can we honestly expect that a Rear Admiral, who has spent a few decades in the military, had no idea that any of this was going on? Why did he not investigate and stop it?

To be fair, our Defense Minister left the military quite long ago. When did he start his political career?

Maybe the CST in his time was more humane.

I suspect a lot of people do not know what is authorized or unauthorized during CST as spelt out in the TSR. Many who went through can shrug it off as part and parcel of the training. Hence it is unfair to assume the Rear Admiral, who was not from the army, who most probably not even been through the Navy Hell Week, who just took over the post not too long ago, to realize the violation of the TSR.

Originally posted by Gedanken:

My point exactly. The two lieutenants are the drunk drivers in your example. What do the other two have to do with it? They're not the ones who did the actual dunking/driving.

The other two are like the driving instructor beside you. See you drunk also let you drive. See got pedestrian in front also never bother to execute emergency brake below their seat.