MINDEF refutes Reddit post by ex-NSF who claimed he faced charges after dispute with then-superior
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has refuted a Reddit post by someone claiming that he faced military charges that had “no basis” after a dispute with his then-superior.
No record of such a case has been found, MINDEF said in a Facebook post on Friday (29 Aug) night.
Source: Ministry of Defence, Singapore (MINDEF) on Facebook
OP claims superior told him to report to camp while on MC
In the post made on Monday (25 Aug), the user said he was now a civilian, having recently completed his National Service (NS)
However, while he was a full-time national serviceman (NSF), he claimed he had sustained an injury that required surgery and a 10-day hospital stay.
He said this left him wheelchair-bound and on crutches, and he was given three weeks of medical leave.
However, he claimed that while he was on medical leave, his superior had instructed him to report to his camp’s medical centre to have his medical certificate (MC) authenticated. He was allegedly given an hour to make the trip.
This was not possible, he added, as he was still in a wheelchair and could not climb the hill up to his camp.
OP claims he faced 3 charges as an NSF, 1 for disobeying superior
When he returned to camp after his MC, the OP alleged that he was told he would be charged for disobeying orders, insubordination, and being absent without leave (AWOL).
He tried explaining his situation to senior officers, but claimed it was “pointless”.
He eventually attended a summary trial, where he disputed the charges and opted for a general court-martial, he said.
Source: Gramicidin on Flickr. For illustration purposes only.
OP claims charges were eventually dropped
When he met his defending officer (DO) and showed him evidence, including his MC and a doctor’s memo, the DO was “shocked because there was no basis for the case at all”, the OP claimed.
Two weeks after the information was sent to the prosecution, the DO told him that the charges had been withdrawn and no court-martial would take place, he alleged.
He eventually asked for a transfer and spent his remaining months of NS in a new unit, he said.
MINDEF reached out to OP for more info
MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) had looked into the online remarks, the ministry said on Friday.
They had “not found any record of such a case”, it added.
They had also reached out to the owner of the account more than one day ago to seek further details that would enable them to perform more thorough investigations.
However, they have yet to hear from him.
MINDEF takes allegations seriously
MINDEF stated that it takes allegations of unacceptable workplace conduct seriously, saying:
There are established channels for service personnel to report such instances, including their chain of command, human resource departments, and senior management.
All investigations are conducted fairly, the ministry added, pledging not to penalise service personnel for making reports in good faith.
Also read: NSFs to get up to S$75 increase in allowance from 1 July, fourth allowance increment in 10 years
NSFs to get up to S$75 increase in allowance from 1 July, fourth allowance increment in 10 years
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Featured image adapted from Gramicidin on Flickr. For illustration purposes only.Â
