47YO SAF Regular Found Dead at Gombak Base; Was Found Hanging from a Rope at the Rooftop of the Car Park

Unlike physical ailments, signs of mental health issues are not easy to spot.

This is why it’s so important not to associate such issues with weakness or shame, as people will be less likely to open up and talk about them.

Sadly, some people suffering from mental health issues often resort to drastic means to end their pain.

47YO SAF Regular Found Dead at Gombak Base; Was Found Hanging from a Rope at the Rooftop of the Car Park

A 47-year-old Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular serviceman was found dead at Gombak Base yesterday, the Ministry of Defence said last night (23 Aug).

“Based on the preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play,” MINDEF wrote.

According to MINDEF, the man was found hanging from a rope at the rooftop of a multi-storey carpark at Gombak Base.

“The Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force were activated by the unit,” MINDEF said.

The serviceman was pronounced dead on site at around 1:40 pm by an SAF medical officer.

The police have classified the case as unnatural death and investigations are ongoing.

“The Ministry of Defence and the SAF extend our deepest condolences to the family of the late serviceman, and are assisting the family in their time of grief,” it added.

What Exactly Does Unnatural Death Mean?

In Singapore, deaths are classed as “natural” if the death of the individual occurred due to a known medical illness (e.g. cancer) or a sudden stop in bodily function (e.g. sudden cardiac arrest).

When the cause of death is from external forces, such as suicide or foul play, they are classified as unnatural deaths.

Two Similar Incidents in 2018

Two similar incidents occurred in 2018, both of which the authorities have since ruled as deliberate acts of suicide.

In the first, which happened in July that year, an off-duty SAF regular serviceman was found hanging from a rope in his bunk in Nee Soon Camp.

Then, just two months later, an NSF was found hanging from a rope in his office at Sembawang Air Base.

Police investigations revealed that there was no foul play involved and that both deaths were deliberate acts of suicide.

At the time, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that the deaths were “due to unnatural causes not related to service”.

Helplines

If you or someone you know needs someone to talk to, there are several helplines which you can call:

National CARE Hotline: 6202-6868

Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health’s Mobile Crisis Service: 6389-2222

Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800

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