Army chief: Setting up board to probe boys drowned in Pahang camp

The Malaysian Army (TDM) will set up a board to investigate the drowning of two boys in an army camp’s training pool in Temerloh, Pahang, yesterday.

Army chief Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan said the board will investigate various angles, including how the victims managed to break into the facility as it is fenced off.

“This training centre is locked and fenced up.

“All military training grounds are restricted zones except for army personnel,” he said.

Hafizuddeain (above, right) was speaking to reporters after a graduation ceremony parade involving 1,436 soldiers at the Army Basic Training Centre (Pusasda) in Port Dickson today.

Two boys aged 11 and 13, believed to be the children of the Pahang camp’s army personnel, were found drowned in the training pool measuring about 2.1m deep.

He said the training pool would usually be empty, but it was filled with water for training purposes due to the accumulation of rainwater.

Expressing sadness over the incident, he said they had assisted the families of the victims to facilitate their funeral arrangements.

He also added that TDM would assess the need to provide better recreational facilities for children at army camps.

Meanwhile, he said the army always takes proactive measures to encourage people from various ethnic groups to join, including improving service schemes to be more competitive with other government agencies.

He said TDM also aimed to recruit more diploma holders in various fields for the upcoming intake, in line with the need for more knowledgeable and skilled personnel.

During the graduation ceremony, Hafizuddeain presented the Army Knife Award, the highest recognition for army personnel, to Corporal Mazlan Abdul Rahman, 35, for saving two individuals who had recently fallen off the Penang Bridge.

Attached to the Second Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, Mazlan (above, left) was also promoted to the rank of corporal effective today.

- Bernama