INQUIRY INTO DEATH OF PTE V. RAJENDRAN

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister of Defence and Second Minister for Health if he will make public the report and findings of the Singapore Armed Forces Board of Inquiry into the death of Pte V. Rajendran of the Singapore Armed Forces on the 9th November 1983.

Mr Goh Chok Tong: PTE Rajendran's death was the subject of Coroner's Inquiry No 2801/83. This was a public Inquiry under the law, All facts relevant and material to his death were before the State Coroner, who made his findings on 15th September, 1984.

In addition, the Armed Forces Council convened a Board of Inquiry into the death of PTE V Rajendran. The law provides that the record of proceedings of a Board of Inquiry held pursuant to the Singapore Armed Forces Act, 1972, and Regulations made thereunder, are privileged. No person is entitled, as of right, to a copy of the record of proceedings of any Inquiry. Following British practice, the Ministry of Defence does not publish Board of Inquiry reports. Besides security objections in some cases, there could also be legal difficulties, because the witnesses appearing before a Board of Inquiry are not protected by the same rules of evidence which apply in the courts. Accordingly, it is inappropriate to make public the report and findings of the Board of Inquiry on the death of PTE V Rajendran.

However, I recognize that the death of a serviceman, especially a national serviceman, is a matter of grave concern, not only to my Ministry, but also to the general public. I can therefore state that in the case of PTE Rajendran, the Board of Inquiry's findings were consistent with the Coroner's findings. In particular, both findings confirmed that the deceased died of bronchopneumonia, and that there had been no ill treatment.

To ensure that no serviceman is exposed to unnecessary risk during his military service, the SAF has published training and safety directives, prescribing how training should be conducted, and what specific safety precautions must be taken. There are also medical and evacuation instructions which explain what should be done in case a serviceman is injured. These directives and instructions are strictly complied with.

Whenever a serviceman is killed or seriously injured in service, the Armed Forces Council, chaired by the Minister of Defence, convenes a Board of Inquiry to investigate the matter. The Board is chaired by a senior officer from a different unit, or even from a different Ministry, who has nothing to do with the incident. It investigates not only the immediate cause of the death or injury, but also the training the serviceman was involved in, and whether remedial or disciplinary actions are called for. The Board reports directly to the Armed Forces Council, which follows up the case with the full resources of the Ministry of Defence.