Ulu tiram: The Defence Ministry has initiated a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Reserve Officer Training Unit (PALAPES) cadet. The cadet passed away during a training session at the Army Combat Training Centre (PULADA) in Ulu Tiram on Monday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced that the committee will include representatives from the Higher Education Ministry and Home Ministry, alongside the Defence Ministry. The minister mentioned that although a post-mortem has been conducted, the results have not yet been received. At the Malaysian Armed Forces level, a committee has already been established to investigate the incident.

The minister spoke to reporters after attending the Pasir Gudang UMNO Division delegates meeting at Dewan Muafakat Taman Mawar. Earlier reports indicated that the victim’s mother, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, lodged a police report after discovering severe bruising on her son, Syamsul Haris Shamsudin’s body.

On August 1, Kota Tinggi police chief Supt Yusof Othman confirmed that no criminal elements were detected in the cadet officer’s death. Police received a report on the incident at 5.33 pm on July 28. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim became incoherent and lost control during combat inoculation training at PULADA around 2.30 pm the same day. He was transported to Kota Tinggi Hospital by army medical officers but was pronounced dead while receiving treatment at the emergency department.