Singapore soldier who leaked video of army camp ‘dog abuse’ punished
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 26 February, 2014, 8:14pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 26 February, 2014, 8:14pm
Agence France-Presse
The Singapore army march at the training camp in Pulau Tekong. Photo: SCMP
Singapore's military has sparked an online storm after punishing a soldier for leaking video footage of a dog allegedly being abused inside an army camp.
The controversy was triggered after a soldier filmed a cowering stray dog in a military camp bathroom with a taut white rope round its neck, preventing it from lying down or moving around.
He released it to an animal rights activist who shared the video on Facebook on January 14.
The 21-second clip displaying the restrained jet-black dog went viral and triggered widespread condemnation from Singapore's animal-lovers. The soldier, whose name was not revealed, also alleged stray dogs venturing into the camp were being beaten.
The military denied any abuse of stray dogs by commanders and said the soldier had been punished for violating rules against unauthorised photography inside the camp and disclosure of information to people outside the armed forces.
It did not specify the punishment for the soldier, but The Straits Times newspaper said he was ordered to be confined in camp for 21 days.
The army also said stray dogs entering the camp "were a persistent danger to personnel", with six attacks in December.
