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SINGAPORE – The captain of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) accused of acting rashly in an incident that led to the death of full-time National Serviceman (NSF) Liu Kai pleaded not guilty on Thursday (March 18).
Corporal First Class (CFC) Liu, 22, was driving Ong Lin Jie in a Land Rover mounted by a Bionix infantry fighting vehicle in reverse during a training exercise in November 2018.
Ong, 30, is accused of acting recklessly by failing to maintain a 30-meter safety distance between the Land Rover and the Bionix ahead, as he ordered CFC Liu to overtake him when it was unsafe to do so, without first establishing communications. with the military vehicle. .
Ong, who has since been suspended from service pending the outcome of court proceedings, appeared in district court on Thursday to plead guilty.
The case for the prosecution is that it should have been obvious to Ong that there was a real risk that the Bionix had run into the opposite side in the exercise and had to backtrack, as part of the exercise.
“Despite this obvious risk, the defendant ordered the deceased to overtake (the Bionix) without first establishing any communication with (its) crew to ensure it was safe to do so,” deputy prosecutors said in their opening statement.
Ong is represented by Mr. Teo Choo Kee, who argued that there was no regulation that established that his client had to establish communication with the Bionix vehicle when passing it.
When questioning the first prosecution witnesses, Captain Wan Hong Wee, the officer in charge of the exercise, noted that the practice of passing a stationary armored vehicle, such as the Bionix, would be to ensure a width of 2 m between the two vehicles. .
Cpt Wan testified that while he was unaware of the provisions that one had to establish communications before overtaking, he personally would have honked his horn to make his intention clear.
The court heard that on November 3, 2018, the 42nd Singapore Armored Regiment Battalion (SAR 42) was conducting a two-sided mission exercise to train the operational capabilities of the Kaffir Company.
Ong was there as a trainer to assess the opposing force’s exercise troops, determine the outcome of any “firefights” he saw, and ensure that security procedures were followed. He was also responsible for the safety of CFC Liu, who was the only other person in the Land Rover accompanying him.
Among other missions, the Kaffir Company was tasked with advancing towards a target, while the opposition force was tasked with delaying them.
At approximately 9.57 a.m., one of the opposition force’s Bionix vehicles spotted the Kaffir Company’s Bionix vehicles and came to a complete stop before a T-junction.
Ong and CFC Liu were in the Land Rover and stopped 30 to 31 meters behind the opposition forces’ Bionix.
Ong did not know why the Bionix had stopped before the crossing and ordered CFC Liu to pass the Bionix on his left. As the Land Rover progressed, the 30m safety distance was no longer observed.
The Bionix fired at the Kaffir Company vehicles and reversed, as part of the drill in such clashes.
As he passed the Bionix, CFC Liu heard the rounds being fired and stopped the vehicle about 16 to 18 meters behind him.
The Bionix reversed and mounted the driver’s side of the Land Rover, pinning CFC Liu in his seat. His cause of death was traumatic asphyxia.
If convicted, Ong could be jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.
The trial continues on Friday.
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