Singapore maintains an active conscription system in accordance with the regulations set by the Government of Singapore, known as National Service (NS).[1] This requires all qualified male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents to serve a period of active duty military service in the uniformed services, in either the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) or the Singapore Police Force (SPF).[2] Below is a list of reported deaths that resulted from training incidents.
| National serviceman | Date | Age | Incident | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recruit (REC) Allen Tan Chong Huat | 19 | Fatally stung by hornets.[3] | Chua Chu Kang, Singapore | ||
| Second Lieutenant (2LT) Tay Seow Kai | 21 | 2LT Tay grabbed a grenade from a recruit who fumbled while handling the grenade during a live exercise. The grenade detonated in his hand, killing him and causing minor injuries for 2 others.[4] | Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute, Singapore | ||
| Private (PTE) Edward Rengasamy | 29 August 1981 | 18 | Soldier died after iron piece pierced his throat during SAF Display Rehearsal [5] | West Coast Park, Singapore | |
| Corporal (CPL) Tamil Selvam s/o Suppiah | 9 October 1982 | 22 | Fatally wounded in a training exercise.[6] | Sembawang, Singapore | |
| Private (PTE) Tham Wai Keong | 23 May 1983 | 18 | Tham was found dead a day after he had gone missing from a route march.[7] The state coroner reported that the private died from a ruptured stomach, but an open verdict was recorded as a forensic pathologist was unable to exclude the possibility that Tham was hit by the entrenching tool found next to his body.[8] | Pulau Tekong, Singapore | |
| Lieutenant (LTA) Koh Meah Wan | 10 April 1984 | 23 | Died of unspecified "serious injuries" during a training exercise.[9] | Sungei Gedong, Singapore | |
| Recruit (REC) Sim Keat Kee | 13 April 1984 | 19 | Collapsed during a two-kilometre run.[10] | - | |
| Recruit (REC) Bak Yow Hock | 18 April 1984 | 17 | Died while undergo training at School of Naval Training.[11] | Sembawang, Singapore | |
| Private (PTE) Hay Yong Chye | 26 November 1986 | 19 | Buried alive.[12] | Sarimbun Ave, Singapore | |
| Staff Sergeant (SSG) Goh Kim Loong Corporal (CPL) Ramiya Mohan Lieutenant (LTA) Ng Soon Hup Lieutenant (LTA) Siow Poh Guan Lieutenant (LTA) Wee Tong Leong Captain (CPT) Lakbir Singh | 24 January 1987 | - | Helicopter crash.[13] | Near Brunei International Airport, Brunei | |
| Private (PTE) Lim Chee Keng | 19 February 1994 | 21 | Collapsed at the end of a 10-kilometre run.[14] | Kranji, Singapore | |
| Second Lieutenant (2LT) Zulhelmi Mohammad Said | 3 August 1996 | 20 | Struck by lightning while moving his platoon out of a training area due to bad weather.[15] [16] | Lim Chu Kang, Singapore | |
| Officer Cadet Trainee (OCT) Tan Sek Hong | 9 December 1996 | 19 | Tan Choon Ming (OCT), 20, loaded a general purpose machine gun without permission and meddled with its trigger in front of a group of officer cadets trainees. He shot Tan Sek Hong, 19, in the chest. Tan later died of a gun shot wound.[17] | Rest area of the live-firing area of Safti Camp, off Upper Jurong Road | |
| Third Sergeant (3SG) Ronnie Tan Han Chong Lance Corporal (LCP) Low Yin Tit | - | A 155mm artillery round exploded in the barrel of a FH-2000 howitzer during a live-firing exercise conducted by the 23rd Battalion, Singapore Artillery. Twelve other servicemen were injured in the incident, including a liaison officer from the New Zealand Army. The explosion was caused by a defective fuze supplied by the Chartered Ammunition Industries which failed to ensure that the fuzes procured by its contractor met military specifications.[18] | |||
| Captain (CPT) Teddy Quah Kok Meng | 11 December 1999 | - | Died after the vehicle he was travelling in crashed into a tree.[19] | Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia | |
| Second Lieutenant (2LT) Daryl Loh Chuan Rong | - | A Full-Time National Serviceman. Thrown overboard as the Missile Gunboat he was on suddenly accelerated and struck another gunboat.[20] | Changi Naval Base, Singapore | ||
| Corporal (CPL) Kwok Wei Ming | 20 | A Full-Time National Serviceman. Collapsed during a Commando Battalion training and died in camp after being transported to its medical facility.[21] | Hendon Camp, Singapore | ||
| Lance-Corporal (LCP) (NS) Mohd Shahlan bin Abdul Rahim | - | Collapsed while taking his Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), and died in hospital.[22] | Clementi Camp, Singapore | ||
| Recruit (REC) Ivan Ho Yong Hua | - | Found unconscious at training ground and died in hospital.[23] | Pulau Tekong, Singapore | ||
| Second Sergeant (2SG) Hu Enhuai | - | Died from asphyxia and near drowning during a POW survival training course. Four commando officers conducting the training were jailed for carrying out an inappropriate "dunking" procedure that led to his death.[24] | Pulau Tekong, Singapore | ||
| First Sergeant (1SG) Shiva s/o Mohan | 13 July 2005 | - | Accident while performing heli-borne rappelling. Also involved one other foreign serviceman.[25] | Sembawang Airbase | |
| Special Constable Trainee (TSC) Roslan Bin Saharo | - | Collapsed shortly after commencing a trial IPPT conducted at the Home Team Academy on 13 May 2008. He was reported to have been unwell before the run, and died in hospital two days later due to complications caused by heat stroke. Further enquiry found that he failed to report that he had a fever, and insisted on continuing the run despite concerns from squad-mates. | Home Team Academy, Singapore | ||
| Recruit (REC) Andrew Cheah Wei Siong | - | Fainted during a 2 kilometre training walk as part of the enhanced Basic Military Training (BMT) for obese recruits. He was evacuated by helicopter to Singapore General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.[26] | Pulau Tekong, Singapore | ||
| Second-Lieutenant (2nd Lt) Lam Jia Hao Clifton | 20 | Collapsed during a jungle orientation training in Brunei; died in hospital.[27] | Brunei | ||
| Private (PTE) Foo Wei Rong Joe | 20 | Collapsed while doing pull-ups. He was later evacuated to Tengah Medical Centre, where the doctors tried to resuscitate him. He subsequently sent to National University Hospital while the medical doctor and medic continued their resuscitation attempt en route, but was subsequently pronounced dead.[28] [29] | Lim Chu Kang Camp, Singapore | ||
| First Warrant Officer (1WO) Tan Poh Eng | 53 | Died in a parachuting accident.[30] | Bloemfountein, South Africa | ||
| 2nd Warrant Officer (2WO) Poh Eng Huat | 36 | Found unconscious at 6.05pm in a flight crew room after performing 'tunnel crawl demo of an F-5 Tiger aircraft. He was later sent to the Changi General Hospital where the SAF doctors and medics team continued their attempts to resuscitate him en route to the hospital. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at 7:24pm at the Changi General Hospital. | Paya Lebar Airbase, Singapore | ||
| 2nd Lieutenant Nicholas Chan Wei Kit | 23 | Hit backwards by a reversing Land Rover driven by Private Muhammad Abdul Qaiyuum Muhammed Iskander at the garage while 2LT Nicholas was performing engine checks behind the vehicle. | Seletar Camp, Singapore | ||
| Lance Corporal (LCP) Eugin Wee Yong Choon | 20 | Hit by a truck driven by another serviceman while unloading stores.[31] [32] | Jurong Camp, Singapore | ||
| Specialist Cadet Trainee (SCT) Ee Chun Sheng | 21 | Found not breathing after separated from his teammates during a training exercise. Due to either "natural disease process" caused by a heart defect or possible heat stroke.[33] | Ama Keng Training Area, Lim Chu Kang, Singapore | ||
| Corporal (CPL) Li Hong Yang | 28 | Collapsed after completing the 2.4 kilometre run in the IPPT.[34] | Kranji Camp, Singapore | ||
| Private (PTE) Dominique Sarron Lee Rui Feng | 21 | Breathing difficulties triggered by an allergic reaction to smoke grenades. COI found out that CPT Najib Hanuk Bin Muhamad Jalal was responsible for throwing 6 smoke grenades (three times more than needed for training). Death could have been prevented if Safety officer CPT (now LTC) Chia Thye Siong had stopped CPT Najib.[35] | Murai Urban Training Facility | ||
| Third Sergeant (3SG) Tan Mou Sheng | 20 | Found pinned to his jeep and unconscious after its driver, 3SG Cavin Tan, lost control of the vehicle.[36] | Marsiling, Singapore | ||
| Lance Corporal (LCP) Muhammad Fahrurrazi Bin Salim | 20 | Went missing during a jungle training exercise. He was the coxswain in a convoy of four boats meant to support water crossing segment of the exercise. His body was found three days later, 200 metres from his last known position.[37] | Sungai Batu Apoi river, Temburong District, Brunei | ||
| Lance-Corporal (LCP) (NS) Tan Tai Seng | 23 | Hit by falling tree while waiting to enter training area.[38] | Ama Keng Training Area, Lim Chu Kang, Singapore | ||
| Third Sergeant (3SG) Chan Hiang Cheng Gavin | 21 | His Bionix Infantry Fighting Vehicle toppled sideways while he was guiding it out of difficult terrain;[39] he was heli-evacuated to Rockhampton Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.[40] | Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia | ||
| Corporal First Class (CFC) Lee Han Xuan Dave | 19 | Displayed signs of hyperthermia on 18 April after completing an 8 kilometre fast march. Lee was evacuated to the camp's medical centre and subsequently transferred to Changi General Hospital, where he was warded in an intensive care unit, but his condition only worsened.[41] | Bedok Camp, Singapore | ||
| Corporal First Class (CFC) Liu Kai | 22 | Killed in a training accident when a Bionix AFV vehicle reversed into his Land Rover during a training exercise.[42] | Murai Urban Training Facility | ||
| Corporal First Class (CFC) (NS) Aloysius Pang | 28 | Died four days after sustaining severe chest and abdominal injuries when the barrel of a self-propelled Howitzer was lowered while he was repairing it with two other SAF personnel during Exercise Thunder Warrior.[43] | Waiouru Military Camp, New Zealand |