To Jeremy

Hi Friends,

I am sincerely happy for Jeremy Tan and his parents. ( see Breaking News on Family Wins Suit)

Jeremy and parents have endured too much!

Mindef should not appeal the judgement.

Mindef should do serious soul searching.

Whose decision was it to avoid compensation for Jeremy's injuries? -the injuries that Justice Tay Yong Kwang ruled were 'attributable to service' and hence "entitled to a payout".

Heads must roll. Singapore has been shamed!

Dr.Huang Shoou Chyuan

PS: I have a message for Jeremy and his parents.

To Jeremy:

Jeremy, if you ever get to read this- get well soon, pal! Almost the whole of Singapore has been rooting for you.

You have done more than your share for Singapore.

Even though she has failed you miserably and does not deserve your sacrifice!

Singapore's Mindef has shamelessly tried to evade its responsibility to one of its own sons.

Jeremy,you may be just a storeman- one that seldom attracts much attention except from your superiors- but usually for all the wrong reasons!

Forgive them-they do not know who you really are.

To Mindef, you are just a digit to be deployed- to fill an Orbat chart.

But to your parents and friends, you are a human being. A son and buddy.

You once harboured such high hopes that now seem mere illusions.

Despite what you have gone through, please know that not all of Singapore is bad. Not all of Singapore are like those who you now rightly hate.

Don’t give up hope for yourself. Don’t give up hope for Singapore.

From a Friend.

Family Wins Suit ( Straits Times online 16.1.09) Selina Lum

THE parents of a former full-time national serviceman, comatose for more than three years after an incident in camp, have won their lawsuit against the Defence Ministry.

The High Court decision paves the way for the family of Jeremy Tan, now 26, to seek disability compensation and medical benefits from Mindef.

On Aug 3, 2005, Mr Tan, then a corporal rostered as duty storeman at Seletar East Camp, was found unconscious at the foot of a building where his bunk was located on the third-level.
The ministry classified Mr Tan's injuries as non-service related and stopped paying for his medical treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital from March 2007.

But Justice Tay Yong Kwang ruled at the end of a four-day hearing that Mr Tan's injuries were 'attributable to service' and he was therefore entitled to a payout.

The case hinged on the interpretation of a provision in the Singapore Armed Forces (Pensions) Regulations, which provides for payouts to disabled servicemen.

Lawyer Lau Teik Soon, acting for Mr Tan's parents, argued that when he was found with injuries at 6pm, Mr Tan's tour of duty had not ended.

But government lawyers argued that even though Mr Tan was performing his national service, he was not doing anything related to his duty at the time. He was not at his place of duty and was last seen resting in his bunk.

But Justice Tay said that the words 'attributable to service' can cover injuries caused while a serviceman is on standby duty and was not doing any particular work.