SINGAPORE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Singapore would strengthen safety measures to avoid training-related deaths among the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen told the parliament here Thursday in the wake of two relevant deaths.
A member of the External Review Panel on SAF Safety (ERPSS) will be included in the independent Committees of Inquiry (COI) that investigate such incidents, Ng elaborated while responding to parliamentary questions about the deaths.
The COI currently has four members and is chaired by a senior civil servant from outside the Ministry of Defense.
On April 30 this year, a 19-year-old serviceman died in hospital after he displayed heat injuries during training. Last September, another Singapore serviceman died in Australia in a military exercise when his armored car collapsed.
Grouping together safety experts and professionals outside the SAF, the ERPSS helps the Ministry of Defense to appraise the SAF's safety management system.
Moreover, the SAF is also studying how individual wearable devices can be used to monitor a soldier's condition in real time, the minister added.
Ng Eng Hen noted that such incidents were very painful, and made clear that his ministry will continue to strive towards zero fatalities.
According to him, independent and impartial investigative processes will be taken to determine the key facts, arrive at appropriate conclusions, take corrective measures to ensure that mistakes are not repeated.
