Tag Archives: COI

A Committee of Inquiry, which was set up by the SAF to investigate the death of Singapore celebrity Aloysius Pang while undergoing his Reservist duties in New Zealand, have found that all three Servicemen who were inside the Howitzer cabin when the accident happened at fault.

Following 3 MRT disruptions on the North South Line (NSL) in Dec 2011 (15, 17 & 18), a Committee of Inquiry (COI) was commissioned to investigate the state of breakdowns and disruptions of the train services. In summary, the COI found that SMRT exercised due prudence with regard to commuter safety. However, the overall incident response was skewed towards train safety and operations, and paid inadequate attention to the well-being of passengers in stalled trains and stations.

Lead investigator Adam Fashe Huddin, who is also Director of Investigation at the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), pointed to video footage showing workers who appeared drunk that night, as well as the many beer bottles that were used as projectiles.

It wasn’t just the hazy morning which drove me to the air-conditioned COI courtroom. It was the fact that Vincent Wijeysingha would be giving evidence. Now this is the man who complained about the Attorney-General’s Office being appointed to lead evidence. His thesis: How can the G’s lawyer be independent enough to lead evidence at a hearing which might hurt the G? So there I was at Court 13, expecting fireworks. What will Vincent W say? Will he be given a fair shake?

Bravery is defined by using common sense, exercising self-restraint, doing the right thing and doing it right. In this instance, self-restraint was a sound decision. It is no different from digging in the foxhole while artillery drop shell after shell, but you hold, you don’t charge. More self-restraint is required to hold the ground and only strike when the timing is right. I don’t think it is easy for officers there to just fob back things hurled at them with no certainty when reinforcement will come. The commander on the ground made decisions on the fly based on what he saw, what he heard and what his gut feelings were.