Causes of Death of Two SAF Personnel Found Dead in SAF Camps in July and September 2018

33 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Defence in respect of the two SAF personnel who were found dead in SAF camps in July and September 2018 respectively (a) what were the causes of the deaths; (b) whether the deaths were related to issues experienced in the course of service; and (c) prior to their deaths, whether their commanders or colleagues were aware of any problem or difficulty which had a bearing on their deaths.

Dr Ng Eng Hen: The deaths of two Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen – one a Regular serviceman and the other a full-time national serviceman – in July and September 2018 respectively on SAF premises were due to unnatural causes not related to service.

Police investigations to ascertain the causes and circumstances connected with these two deaths have been completed and submitted to the State Coroner. The State Coroner found that there was no evidence of foul play and that the deaths were deliberate acts of suicide. The State Coroner did not identify any contributory factors related to their commanders or colleagues, NS or work that could have led to the incident.