The identities of five Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel involved in the tragic death of their fellow Tuas View Fire Station firefighter have been outed and they have been charged in court today, according to TODAY.
This would be the latest development to the case involving full-time national serviceman (NSF) Corporal Kok Yuen Chin, who died on May 13 while being the target of a hazing ritual by his squad mates. The 22-year-old’s two-year service as an NSF had been due to end, and as part of his farewell celebrations, he was involved in a long-held ritual among firefighters, in which the outgoing personnel is dunked into the fire station’s pump well — a 12m-deep reservoir meant for the training and testing of fire engine water pumps. Kok died after he was found unconscious in the well. His squadmates knew that he was not able to swim.
- Staff Sergeant Mohammad Nur Fatwa Mahmood, 33. Charged with committing a rash act causing death and abetting the obstruction of the course of justice by instigation. Accused of pushing Kok into the pump well and making his colleague delete a video of him doing so.
- First Warrant Officer Mohamed Farid Mohamed Saleh, 34. Charged with abetting a rash act causing death. Accused of instigating Fatwa to push Corporal Kok in.
- Lieutenant Kenneth Chong Chee Boon, 37, and First Senior Warrant Officer Nazhan Mohamed Nazi, 40. Each charged with abetting a rash act causing grievous hurt by illegal omission.
- Staff Sergeant Adighazali Suhami, 32. Charged with intentionally obstructing the course of justice. Accused of deleting a video recording of Corporal Kok being pushed into a well.
Channel NewsAsia reported that eight other SCDF officers who were present during the incident have been referred by the police to SCDF for departmental investigations. Six of them are regular officers, while the other two are full-time NSFs.
“If investigations find that they had contravened SCDF rules and regulations, the regular officers will face public service disciplinary actions, which may include dismissal from service or demotion in rank, while the NSFs will be liable for detention and or demotion in rank under the Civil Defence Act,” said SCDF in a statement yesterday.
Stricter measures
The deep-seated culture of ragging and hazing rituals within the SCDF is well known among those who’ve served in the force. Measures have long been introduced to put an end to such sordid affairs and the SCDF has taken a zero-tolerance stance on ragging, but the traditions die hard, and the activities still continue.
That may no longer be possible, especially after the high-profile death of Corporal Kok. The SCDF has since launched infrastructural changes and stricter penalties, among other measures to stamp out ragging for good. Penalties, for example, will be expanded even further to encompass personnel who know of such activities, but aren’t willing do anything about it.
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