Mother of late NSF who died in 2012 during military exercise turns to SDP's Chee Soon Juan for help

This is what opposition parties in Singapore are good for: Avenue of last resort.

Belmont Lay| March 06, 04:29 PM

Chee Soon Juan, leader of the Singapore Democratic Party, has met up with the mother of the late full-time national serviceman, Private Dominique Sarron Lee, 21.

This was after the High Court on March 3, 2016, dismissed the lawsuit brought against the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and two of its officers by the family of Private Lee.

In the closed-door hearing, all three defendants had applied to strike out the claim on the grounds that there is no reasonable cause of action and that the suit is frivolous, vexatious and an abuse of the court process.

The defendants had argued — in a line of defence that relied on this provision in the Government Proceedings Act — that they are indemnified from being sued for negligence for deaths and injuries if the acts are certified to be attributable to service.

Private Lee died in 2012 from an allergic reaction to smoke grenades during a military exercise.

His family filed the civil suit in 2015.

In a Facebook post, Chee wrote that it was the mother, Mdm Felicia Seah, who approached him:

Just'>

got back from a meeting with Mdm Felicia Seah, Dominique Lee's mother. She emailed and had asked to meet. It was an...

Posted by Chee Soon Juan on Saturday, 5 March 2016

A few days before this meeting, Mdm Seah had penned an open letter to her late son lamenting that she has not found closure and was ordered to foot the legal costs of the other parties as a result of her failed suit.

Chee said the Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Armed Forces have much to answer for, as the SDP will study the matter and make a statement in the near future.

 

Related article:

Mother pens letter to late son who died during National Service in 2012 for failing him

 

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