> Full time NSman dies after being pinned by Land Rover during inspection

HE WAS their only child, born to them through in-vitro fertilisation. And the parents of Second Lieutenant Nicholas Chan Wei Kit, 21, are still unable to believe their son is gone after his sudden death last Friday afternoon at Seletar Camp, in which an army land rover rolled back, pinning him underneath.

A recovery vehicle was dispatched, although the Defence Ministry did not say how soon after the accident, to lift the vehicle off him. But 2LT Chan died in hospital of his injuries – a little more than an hour after he took over the vehicle.

A full-time National Serviceman (NSF), Second Lieutenant (2LT) Chan Wei Kit Nicholas, a Motor Transport Officer, was taking delivery of a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Land Rover in Seletar Camp at about 11.30am. The Land Rover had been sent there for servicing. 2LT Chan was inspecting the vehicle when it rolled backwards and hit him. 2LT Chan was found pinned under the vehicle.

A recovery vehicle was activated at about 12.00pm and managed to lift the Land Rover at 12.30pm. A medical team comprising an SAF doctor and two medics from the Seletar Medical Centre attempted to resuscitate 2LT Chan immediately. He was sent to the Changi General Hospital (CGH) at about 12.35pm and he arrived at the hospital at about 12.50pm. The SAF doctor and medics continued their attempts to resuscitate him en route to the hospital. 2LT Chan was pronounced dead at 1.07pm at CGH.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the SAF extend their deepest condolences to the family of the late 2LT Chan. MINDEF will assist the family in their time of grief and is investigating the incident.

His mother, a housewife, received a call at their flat in Bukit Batok, telling her that ’something had happened’ to her son, and that he was in hospital. Together with her husband, an engineer, they rushed down. But by the time they got there, it was too late.

The family is still questioning what led to 2LT Chan’s death. After all, he had been on military trips to Brunei and Taiwan, and had always returned safely.

His mother said she is still too distraught to probe much into the details of her son’s death.

But one thing they want to know is whether any other military personnel were with their son at the time of the incident. The family said Mindef has told them that it cannot reveal this now as the matter is still under investigation.

What little they know is that 2LT Chan – a newly commissioned officer – was a Motor Transport Officer based in Jurong Camp. He had gone to the Seletar camp that day to collect the vehicle.

It is also not known if he was alone at the time but his mother said he could not have gone to collect the vehicle alone because he did not have a driving licence.

In between sobs, she said that her son would come back almost every night to the family home to have dinner before heading back to camp. She had been expecting him as usual last Friday evening – but he never showed up.

2LT Chan’s cousins described him as a ‘happy-go-lucky’ and ‘playful’ person, with a keen eye for fashion. He had a passion for clothes, they said, and even chose to specialise in retail management as a student at Temasek Polytechnic.

Close friends also called him a ‘cheeky and happy’ man. Said his former Basic Military Training platoon mate Audi Khalid, 21: ‘He was the life of the platoon.’

2LT Chan’s best friend Jarryl Wong, a full-time national serviceman, said he placed a Beatles CD – one of 2LT Chan’s favourite bands – next to his friend’s body in the casket. 2LT Chan was decked out in the uniform he had worn for the officer commissioning ceremony.

‘It was something he would have liked. He brought a lot of joy into my life. I’m just thankful I got to see him before he died,’ said Mr Wong, 22, who met 2LT Chan for dinner the day before his death.

Last Saturday, his parents visited the site at Seletar Camp where 2LT Chan died to offer prayers.

His mother said that all she wanted now was to know what exactly happened on that fateful day.

She has not spoken to any of his army mates about the incident, though a steady stream of them have been pouring in to pay their respects at the wake.

‘I’m not blaming anyone. Nick is gone already. We’re just waiting for the investigations to be complete,’ she said.

2LT Chan will be given a full military send-off tomorrow.

> 3-man gay orgy, sex pills and then …death

A 26-YEAR-OLD Singaporean man died on 23 April 2009 after taking performance-enhancing drugs during a night of casual sex with two other men.

Mr Brandon Boh Zhuang Min died 16 days after he was found unconscious in the Holland Close flat of a man he had met barely a week earlier, a coroner’s court heard yesterday.

Mr Boh, a catering executive, met German magazine publisher Rene Daniels, 45, on an Internet dating site in late March last year.

Shortly after, on the weekend of April 4, Mr Boh stayed over at Mr Daniels’ home, and the pair had sex.

Three days later, they invited another man known only as Ismail – whom Mr Daniels had also met online – to join them for sex at the Holland Close flat.

While the trio were in the bedroom, Mr Daniels took out four blue pills meant for sexual enhancement, saying he had brought them from Germany. He took two and gave the other two to Mr Boh. Both of them soon felt unwell.

Ismail, whose identity could not be established in the police investigation, left the flat some time after.

Later, Mr Daniels’ friend, Mr Ong Chee Haur, 36, found the duo lying unconscious in separate rooms. Their bodies were hot and dehydrated. He poured water into their mouths and called for an ambulance when he failed to rouse Mr Daniels.

Paramedics found both men foaming at the mouth. They had low blood-sugar levels. After glucose was administered to Mr Daniels, he came to but was still drowsy. Both men were taken to the National University Hospital.

Mr Daniels survived, but Mr Boh remained in critical condition and died on April 23 of pneumonia and swelling in the brain following multiple drug abuse.

Among the drugs found in his system were glibenclamide, used to treat diabetes, and amphetamines. When used without medical supervision, glibenclamide can cause hypoglycaemia (low blood-sugar levels), leading to brain injury.

Police officers found unopened condoms and medication in the bedrooms.

In recording a verdict of misadventure on the death of Mr Boh, State Coroner Victor Yeo said the evidence showed that the two men had knowingly taken the sex enhancement pills, which were very likely counterfeits.