PORT DICKSON: The armed forces will soon set up a board to investigate a drowning incident involving two victims at a training pool of an army camp in Temerloh, Pahang, yesterday.
Army Chief General Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan said the board would investigate various angles, including factors related to the facility's control.
He said the members would identify the witnesses and how the victims managed to break into the facility as it is fenced off.
"... This training centre is locked and fenced up," he told reporters after the passing out parade of young male soldiers at the Army Basic Training Centre (Pusasda) involving 1,436 soldiers here today.
Muhammad Hafizuddeain said the pool would usually be empty, but it was filled with water for training purposes due to the accumulation of rainwater.
"All military training grounds are restricted zones except for army personnel," he said, adding that the armed forces would assess the need to provide better recreational facilities for children at army camps.
Expressing sadness over the incident, he said they had assisted the families of the victims to facilitate their funeral arrangements.
Two boys aged 11 and 13, believed to be the children of the camp's army personnel, were found drowned in the training pool measuring seven feet deep (about 2.1 metres).
Meanwhile, he said they always took proactive measures to encourage people from various ethnic groups to join the army, including improving the service schemes to be more competitive with other government agencies.
He said they 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, Muhammad 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 was also promoted to the rank of corporal effective today. – BERNAMA