Police report filed against 5 SCDF national servicemen over leaked photos of fatal Bionix accident

The death of Corporal First Class (CFC) Liu Kai was a truly tragic event last Saturday at the Jalan Murai Training Area, where the young man was involved in an accident that saw an armored vehicle backing up onto the Land Rover he was in.

In the days following his death, social media got hold of a picture that apparently depicted the wreckage. Somehow, an individual managed to take a picture of a Bionix vehicle astride a crushed jeep, with Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel in the background.

The authorities have identified the people who leaked the image, which wasn’t even supposed to be taken in the first place according to Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) rules. SCDF has since filed a police report against five of its full-time national servicemen (NSFs) for their offenses, Channel NewsAsia reported.

Apparently, two of the SCDF NSFs deployed to the incident at Jalan Murai Training Area on Nov 3 had whipped out their phones and took photos of the scene. The images were then shared in a WhatsApp chat group that had their fellow NSFs as members. The photos were then forwarded over to their friends before making its way onto social media.

Most notably, SG Road Vigilante chose to publish two of the photos taken on Facebook and has refused to take them down, stating that the public should not be deprived of the images and that everyone has a right to know about how the accident took place.

Facebook screengrab
Facebook screengrab

The Ministry of Defence clarified that all personnel are restricted from taking unauthorized pictures and videos on Singapore Armed Forces training grounds.

The tragedy

Photo: The Singapore Army / Facebook
Photo: The Singapore Army / Facebook

A Transport Operator in the SAF, Private Liu Kai, 22, had been operating a Land Rover around 10:10am at the Jalan Murai training grounds when a Bionix infantry fighting vehicle reversed into his vehicle. He lost consciousness and was immediately attended to by an on-site medic before the Singapore Civil Defence Force and SAF Emergency Ambulance Service were activated. The young man succumbed to his injuries not long after and was pronounced dead by the medical officers around 10.35am.

Liu has since been accorded a posthumous promotion and a military send-off.

SAF has since launched a review of high-rise training to ensure safety measures are in place at all levels.



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