KOTA TINGGI: The Army has temporarily suspended all hand grenade training activities following a fatal blast during a training session at Hobart Camp, Kedah, which claimed the lives of two personnel, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pic).
The Defence Minister said the order is effective immediately and will remain in place until the board of inquiry completes a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the incident.
He said the decision was necessary to enable a review of the standard operating procedures (SOP) governing weapons handling and training management in the security forces.
“We need to understand how this could have occurred. What went wrong there must be investigated.
“According to technical guidelines, once the pin is pulled, it must be thrown within seven seconds,” Mohamed Khaled told reporters after attending a free petrol programme at Felda Air Tawar 2 yesterday.
He said the probe would look into several elements, including the technical aspects of the weapons and the mental state and preparedness of the personnel during the training.
“I am not going to speculate. Let the investigation be completed first.
“Once the report is out, we will assess shortcomings and areas for improvement, including the condition of the personnel during the training.
“I have instructed that this investigation be expedited and that the full report be submitted directly to me once it is completed,” he said.
On another matter, Mohamed Khaled said the Malaysian Battalion 850-13, deployed on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, is operating from a central base that provides a security advantage as it is located away from the border area.
“The tactical positioning directly reduces the risk of Malaysian forces being involved in any ground fighting in the event of unrest along the Lebanon-Israel border,” he said.
Mohamed Khaled said the area near the border line is, instead, controlled by peacekeeping forces from other countries, including France and Indonesia.
“We do have an area that we are guarding.
“Our advantage is that we are not on the Lebanese and Israeli borders but are positioned in the middle.
“Those deployed closer to the border include French and Indonesian forces.
“So we are safe should a ground battle occur,” he said.
However, Mohamed Khaled reminded national forces to not be complacent, as the current threat has now shifted to aerial attacks.
