yeah....Things will only get better

Posted this for you Sam. This was the reply.


Original letter by Mr Lim Chong Leong

ST May 16, 2007
Memorial to NSmen who die while on duty

ST May 16, 2007
Memorial to NSmen who die while on duty
THE sudden, horrific deaths of and serious injuries to our national servicemen in Taiwan came as a great shock. Young men in their prime about to embark on a promising career were stopped suddenly through no fault of their own. Their parents must have felt devastated to lose their sons in such circumstances.

All Singapore parents with sons in NS, or who are about to enlist, must have felt a strong sense of sadness and empathy for the parents of the dead and injured NSmen. However, we can comfort them only with words of condolence and support. Soon, the incident will be forgotten except by the affected parents and family members.

NS is now 40 years old and there are many families with members from three generations who have served the country. NS has become a rite of passage for all Singapore men and is well entrenched in all families. Unfortunately, as a conscripted force, NS is still viewed by parents as a high-risk activity and most feel anxious and concerned for NSmen's personal safety, notwithstanding training precautions taken.

The effort and sacrifices of NSmen are given recognition in various ways, for example, tax rebates, bonuses and club facilities. However, there appears to be a lack of recognition of unfortunate ones who fall while on duty in the defence of Singapore. They may have fallen but they should not be forgotten.

I suggest that, as part of the 40th anniversary of NS, the Government go one step further in recognising the sacrifices of our young men and at the same time, alleviate the emotional devastation and hardship of parents who may lose their sons in the defence of the country.

I propose that the Government provide insurance coverage for all NSmen during their full-time service and allow them to carry on the policies at their own expense after their operationally ready date (ORD). I believe the premium for group insurance is within the budget of the Government. This is in addition to any payment currently made to families of affected NSmen.

Another proposal is to build a memorial to NSmen who lose their lives while on duty. This could be in a prominent location where the public could visit at any time. Their names could be inscribed on the memorial. On National Day, a simple ceremony could be held there to remember them.

Lim Chong Leong


Well, notice the bold lines? A memorial for the NSmen that lost their lives while on duty was proposed. Now look at the official reply below.


I REFER to the letter, 'Memorial to NSmen who die while on duty' (ST, May 16), by Mr Lim Chong Leong.

We thank Mr Lim for his concern for national servicemen who lose their lives while serving the nation and assure him they are not forgotten. During the SAF Day Parade on July 1 each year, a minute of silence is observed to pay tribute to servicemen who have lost their lives in the course of service in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The Ministry of Defence believes this deeply significant segment of the annual parade is a meaningful way to remember our comrades in arms.

Mindef has a framework that provides fair and reasonable compensation for a serviceman who suffers disability or death in the course of service. SAF regulations provide for servicemen and their families to be compensated in line with the Workmen's Compensation Act set out by the Ministry of Manpower. This is the base level of compensation.

The SAF also ensures that we treat our full-time national servicemen (NSFs) and NSmen on par with regular soldiers for the purpose of compensation.

This means for deaths due to military service, we will provide another lump-sum payment, on top of the payment in line with the Workmen's Compensation Act, of a minimum of one year's pay for a regular of the same rank.

Mindef can also grant additional compensation where circumstances merit such additional compensation. The principles Mindef applies in compensating servicemen and their families are consistent with the principles applied by the civil courts in assessing compensation.

In addition, Mindef has the SAF Group Insurance Scheme which provides coverage at premiums that are affordable for NSFs. For example, for a monthly premium of $16 for every $100,000 of coverage, servicemen can insure themselves up to a maximum sum of $400,000.

Col Benedict Lim
Director, Public Affairs
Ministry of Defence

Now... where do we see the official reply from Mindef on the issue of building a memorial? If the good old Colonel cannot answer that question on behalf of Mindef, get someone else to do so. Observing a minute of silence pay tribute to the fallen comarades is something commendable, but well, this issue wasn't brought up by Mr Lim. He was asking about the possibilty of building a memorial. Seems to me that the Colonel either cannot answer/ is in no position to do so or simply got his NSF to draft this reply on his behalf.

According to Mr Wang of mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com, "why would the SAF want to build a public monument to its own failures? Most accidents, whether they occur in the home or on the roads or at the workplace, are preventable."