SAF Did Not State The Length Of The Safety Timeout
NSmen, NSF and those waiting to enlist will not be able to attempt their Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) till further notice.
That’s because the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has implemented a safety timeout across the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), after the tragic death of local actor Aloysius Pang last Thursday (24 Jan).
Temporary suspension for all training
Throughout this safety timeout, all forms of training across the SAF will be temporarily suspended, according to MINDEF.
This includes physical activities like IPPT, Remedial Training (RT), and IPPT Preparatory Training (IPT).
In addition, other operational physical exercises like the 5 Basic Exercises (5BX), route marches and field training will also be put on hold.
‘Crush injuries’
28-year-old Aloysius Pang died last Thursday after succumbing to injuries sustained during a SAF military exercise in New Zealand.
The late Mr Pang reportedly suffered ‘crush injuries’ after getting caught between the rear of a gun barrel and the cabin interior of an armoured vehicle.
Following the accident, SAF leaders announced that the SAF will be observing a safety timeout to lower training tempo while investigations are ongoing.
Length of timeout not revealed
As of the time of this article, the SAF has not announced when the safety timeout will be lifted.
Last November, the SAF underwent a similar safety timeout for 5 days following the death of CFC Liu Kai.
What do you think should be done?
Looking online, most netizens felt that MINDEF’s decision to temporarily suspend routine training activities like IPPT was a bit of an overreaction and does not address the problem at hand.
What do you think the SAF should be doing to prevent similar accidents from happening? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured image from YouTube.
