Friday September 24, 2004, 8:17 PM
Commandos trial: Witness relates dunking death of soldier
SINGAPORE: A witness has told a subordinate court hearing the death
of Second Sergeant Hu Enhuai he saw the 19-year-old struggling
violently as his head was being dunked into the tub of water.
Sergeant Hu was a Guards sniper who died after attending a "Prisoner
of War" training session at Pulau Tekong last year.
Yen Li Khai, who was a National Service infantry sergeant sent to
the Commando camp to help conduct the Combat Survival Training
Course at that time, said Sergeant Hu's hands were held down to
prevent him from struggling and his head was held underwater for up
to 20 seconds each time.
Sergeant Yen, who is now studying in Australia, also said he was
shocked by how the Commando trainers treated Hu and Captain Ho Wan
Huo.
He said the Commando trainers treated these two trainees much more
harshly than any of the other trainees.
Sergeant Yen's job during the training was to blindfold and bind
the hands of the trainees who were "prisoners of war" and to escort
them to the water treatment area where the trainees would be
interrogated by the Commando trainers.
Sergeant Yen said he was about 15 to 20 metres away from the tub
used to dunk them.
He testified that he saw Lieutenant Ng Chin Fong push and hold
Sergeant Hu's head underwater for 10 to 20 seconds.
Sergeant Yen said: "He (Hu) stuggled violently. After that, he was
brought out of the water for about four to five seconds before his
head was submerged again. During the time his head was lifted out
of the water, the deceased was gasping for air."
Sergeant Yen continued: "He was breathing heavily when his head was
lifted above the water. When the deceased completed the session,
Lieutenant Jeff pulled the deceased out of the tub and the deceased
fell to the ground.
"The deceased was motionless and I saw water coming out of his
mouth. The deceased was vomiting water from his mouth."
As for the other trainee Captain Ho Wan Huo who survived but almost
drowned, Sergent Yen said Lieutenant Divanand Hari had covered his
mouth, nose and eyes and then pushed his head into
underwater.
During the course of the evidence, the prosecution brought in a
dummy blindfolded and hands tied behind the back for Sergeant Yen
to demonstrate to the court how the dunking of Sergeant Hu and
Captain Ho had been done.
However, the family members of Sergeant Hu were not in court to
witness the demonstration.
Under cross-examination, Sergeant Yen said there were other
instructors helping Lieutenant Diva during the water treatment
component of the survival training.
Sergeant Yen added that another accused person, Captain Pandiaraj,
was at the scene and he could have stopped the instructors from
continuing the treatment. - CNA
Can any commando shed light on this incident? Whether there's any unfairness in the treatment of trainees from other units? Was Sgt Hu treated "more harshly than other trainees" because he was from Guards?
Witnesses say commando trainees were
terrified during dunking exercise
By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : Captain Huo Wan Ho, who was nearly drowned by the
commando trainers during the ill-fated Combat Survival Course, was
screaming in fear and gasping for air as he was being dunked.
Third Sergeant Ong Chin Wei who was helping with the course said
this on day 7 of the trial of four commando trainers.
The four are accused of nearly drowning the captain and causing the
death of another trainee, Second Sergeant Hu Enhuai.
Sergeant Ong was the enemy in the survival course and Captain Ho
Wan Huo was his prisoner of war.
The trainees were made to line up to wait their turn for the water
treatment.
And Sergeant Ong says the commando instructors picked Captain Ho
from the back of the line and brought him to the front.
The sergeant's task was to escort Captain Ho to the water tank to
be interrogated by the commandos.
Third Sergeant Ong Chin Wei is the second witness to testify what
he saw during the water treatment phase of the course.
He had only seen the water treatment on Captain Ho.
He said what he saw had frightened him.
He had also demonstrated in court using a dummy and a water tub how
Captain Ho was immersed during the water treatment.
The sergeant testified that Captain Ho was blindfolded, his hands
tied behind his back - and was then dunked 6 times.
The commando instructors, he said, seemed very enthusiastic.
In stark contrast Captain Ho, he said was very frightened and was
screaming and gasping for air.
The sergeant, who is a former classmate of Hu En Huai - the trainee
who died - however did not see the commandos dunk Hu.
The court also heard that this is not the first dunking death in
the military - there was another case back in 1976. - CNA