The Kuala Kangsar Civil Defence Force (APM) is in a lot of trouble for their ‘character building’ bootcamp.
A video showing a group of schoolchildren being forced into a pit with snakes has been making its rounds on social media.
The 2-minute 50-second video was first uploaded by Facebook page Friends of PDRM on October 16, and the clip quickly went viral.
In the video, ten primary schoolgirls were seen being instructed to wade across a muddy pit as part of a bootcamp for schoolchildren in Kuala Kangsar, Perak.
As the students were halfway through, an instructor then allegedly threw a snake into the pit, causing panic among the children.
The terrified students were seen screaming and crying, and those who tried to get out of the pit were sprayed with water.
The video — which was viewed more than 639,000 times — has drawn the ire of the general public, with many condemning the act.
National Parent-Teachers Association Chairman Prof Dr Mohamad Ali Hassan told The Star Online that swift action needs to be taken immediately.
“The Government should ban this kind of training. Suspend the training centre and put the trainers involved on blacklist.
“The trainers should be sent for rehabilitation, themselves. It is a live snake. Not a toy snake. What were they thinking?” he was quoted as saying.
Malaysian Civil Defence Force deputy director-general of operations Datuk Selamat Dahalan also told the news portal that the training modules for schoolchildren usually involved demonstrations on what they should do in an emergency, and making them wade in a mud pit with a live snake was never part of the programme.
“We regret that this has happened. This is an individual act and not sanctioned by the department. In fact, it is against our standard operating procedure to have such training for primary school children,” he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Harian Metro reports that four APM instructors and six assistants have been suspended with immediate effect.
Perak APM director Civil Defence Colonel Mohd Noor Hassan Ashari Sulaiman told the Malay daily that the methods employed violated the force’s standard operating procedures.
“The break from SOP should not have happened and we will conduct an investigation on all of them and ensure that justice and the appropriate punishment are meted out according to APM’s disciplinary procedures,” he was quoted as saying.
The Kuala Kangsar district education office has reportedly lodged an official report on the matter and an investigation is ongoing.
