Farewell former RSS Resolution L204

You heard it here first: We hear that the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) could stage an Appreciation Ceremony of sorts for the hulk of the former RSS Resolution (L204), a tank landing ship (LST) that was decommissioned decades ago. The ceremony could be held next Tuesday (22 Oct) at Tuas Naval Base, where the ship is berthed, prior to a date with the scrapyard.

The former Resolution is the last example of a warship from the early days of Singapore's navy.

In November 2021, RSN veterans launched a campaign to preserve the decommissioned LST as a museum exhibit. This was turned down in January 2022.

Bon voyage former Reso. We will miss you dearly.

Updates on the Singapore Armed Forces

 

These are recent updates on my Instagram @davidboeypix and Twitter @SenangDiri that have had the highest engagements. 

Do follow if you'd like to stay tuned with such content. Many thanks for staying in touch!

Update on future of Senang Diri blog

I would like to thank all the folks who came for the Pukul Habis book talk at SAFRA Toa Payoh on 7 September 2024. I appreciate those who stayed behind and waited their turn patiently for the one-to-one conversations.

While the book research may have involved interactions with a number of individuals, the actual writing was, to me a newbie fiction author, a lonely and impersonal journey where you never know whether the words on the screen will be read or appreciated by anyone out there.

So thanks for helping keep the flames alight.

In response to the many requests to stay active and communicative, I have recently restarted updates on my social channels: Instagram (@davidboeypix) and X (@senangdiri) and also Facebook (David Boey Author's page @senangdiriHQ). Do Follow if you would like to see the updates.

X will be my platform of choice for quick updates

IG will mirror the photo-worthy updates on X. Engagement levels far lower than X. But there's a reason I'm on IG.

FB will be for long form discourses, such as my comments on the recent training incident at Exercise Wallaby 2024, as I have seen these posts propagated faster and to a more esteemed audience than my blog posts. 

My blog will kept warm as a platform for Singapore-related defence discussions for those special occasions when I feel a need to speak up.

I also want to thank the many, many new Pukul Habis readers who discovered this book. It was a thrill seeing the book displayed at the main entrance of Books Kinokuniya, Singapore's biggest bookstore, again. And seeing the pile eventually whittled away just weeks later.

If you read my revised Author's Note, you will realise the book is written with hidden messages embedded therein. If you're a newly-minted 2LT or fresh recruit, you will need time to pick up some of the tribe's nuances and it may be hard to read about the SAF being shot to pieces in a story like this. 

But there's a reason why the SAF's first CDF endorsed the story. If you need a hint, just think about the capabilities that the super-strong SAF opponent demonstrates in the fictional battles, then ask yourself which side is more likely to actually have them for real and what the author is trying hard to tell you without being invited for a free coffee. Think about it.

The first batch of Pukul Habis readers took awhile to arrive at this deduction but many eventually did.

I hope all you new readers will get it and also find the story meaningful and a worthwhile learning journey.

Comments on Singapore Armed Forces SAF training incident at Exercise Wallaby 2024

 

Some initial thoughts on the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) training incident at Exercise Wallaby in Queensland which injured 12 servicemen:

1. This is the first known incident involving the Singapore-made Hunter armoured fighting vehicle taking part in Exercise Wallaby in Queensland, Australia

2. Hunters have special seats and body restraints designed to minimise injury to passengers in the event of landmine blasts or should the vehicle overturn.

3. Furthermore, Singapore Army standard procedure is thought to call for Hunter passengers to be belted up and for helmets or bump caps to be worn when onboard the vehicle.

4. Unlike the earlier generation of Bionix infantry fighting vehicles or M-113 Ultra armoured personnel carriers, armoured infantry on Hunters typically fight closed hatch. This means the passengers remain inside the vehicle with all hatches closed, and are typically belted up as mentioned above.

5. Closed hatch operations rely on the Hunter's all-round surveillance system, which comprises a suite of cameras placed around the vehicle that can see in daylight or at night.

6. However, the hot and dry conditions in Queensland as Australia approaches summer is known to give rise to brown-out situations when vehicles moving in column kick up large amounts of dust.

7. It will be instructive to know how fast the Hunters were moving, relative to one another prior to and at the point of contact.

8. This incident, presumably in clear weather (i.e. no rain) albeit dusty conditions, with no external combat stress factors such as enemy fire, will produce learning moments for the concept of operations (CONOPS) for closed hatch AFV operations and standard procedures for the embarkation of armoured infantry aboard Hunter AFVs.

The extent to which the build up, if any, of dust or other particulate matter could have affected the effectiveness of the Hunter camera suite or periscopes for crew situational awareness is not to be underestimated. This is a point which the inquiry would uncover.

9. I have full confidence in MINDEF and SAF leadership in handling this matter.

The SAF is a learning organisation. I am confident the right lessons will be gleaned from this incident and wish the injured servicemen a speedy recovery.

10. For full disclosure, I attended Exercise Wallaby as a journalist years ago during the trial of the then-new Bionix 2 IFVs and was embedded with 42 SAR. Great unit.

File photo of a Hunter armoured fighting vehicle. This is NOT the same vehicle involved in the incident mentioned.

For more:

https://www.mindef.gov.sg/news-and-events/latest-releases/24sep24_nr2

THANKS AGAIN! Pukul Habis book talk

I had a great time yesterday at Singapore's first Military Hobby Fest where I shared how I wrote my first novel, Pukul Habis. I also revealed - for the first time to a public audience - how Easter eggs were embedded in the story as a salute to some defence matters that cannot be talked about openly.

If you were there, I hope this talk gave you a better understanding of why the battle scenes unfolded the way they did.

Yesterday's event was my second book talk. Big thanks to all who made time to support the event. Being a first time fiction author, I have found that I enjoy hearing readers share their views and what the book meant to them. I was also quite humbled to have contributed to Singapore's reading scene as a number of you shared that Pukul Habis was the first story book you had read in quite awhile  :-)

I thank SAFRA and all the volunteers who worked tirelessly over the past year to plan, organise and execute the event. I felt it had a good mix of military nuts, from the twin lawyers who paint warplanes and airliners, to the amateur film producers who make films on the SAF and Home Team, to the members of defence-related special interest groups on Facebook. I was pleased to meet you all.

And while visiting Books Kinokuniya at Ngee Ann City on Sunday evening, I was reminded how surreal it was seeing Pukul Habis on the Bestsellers shelf alongside established authors like the late Tom Clancy, John Grisham and Jeffrey Archer. 

The first print run of Pukul Habis was sold out in Singapore and Malaysia months ago. Back in 2023, the debut novel made it to the bestsellers listing in Singapore's Sunday Times for several weeks. 

I have reprinted a small number of copies with the intention of passing some to Tun (Dr) Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, and Lieutenant-General Winston Choo, former Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces. The story of an unthinkable war made such an impact on these prominent readers that both had agreed to write Forewords and this made a second edition a natural outcome. I passed the balance to Books Kinokuniya and once they're out, they're out. I have some copies for bulk buys with 20 books per box. Do email met at projectrocky@gmail.com if keen.

Pukul Habis book talk 3pm, 7 Sep 2024 Military Hobby Fest SAFRA Toa Payoh in Singapore

Dear All,
I will attend Singapore's first Military Hobby Fest at SAFRA Toa Payoh this Saturday. Will give a behind-the-scenes talk on Pukul Habis at 3pm and will address some of the hidden messages for the very first and possibly only time in front of a public audience. Happy to take questions if you've any. 

David

Meeting with Tun (Dr) Mahathir Mohamad

When I first saw this picture last November, I thought it was a pretty good photoshop.

Then a friend from Malaysia asked me to take a look at Tun (Dr) Mahathir Mohamad's Facebook page. And that was when I realised the image was real.

Last Friday (16 August'24), I had a private conversation with Tun, a former Prime Minister of Malaysia and the country's longest-serving PM, in his office in Kuala Lumpur. It was a four-eye meeting with just us two. No staff officers were present. 

I enjoyed the conversation on, well you guessed it, defence and foreign affairs. Specifically, matters pertaining to Malaysia and Singapore. 

Though I left journalism more than 15 years ago and while I hold no job title or office even remotely linked to Singapore's defence ecosystem, I am touched that the Malaysians have deemed it worthwhile to stay in contact and continue engaging me. The meeting with Tun crowns a long-standing relationship with friends in Malaysia, several of whom helped me - an outsider to Malaysia's defence scene - attain a level of understanding of the Malaysian Armed Forces that helped me write Pukul Habis, my first novel.

Tun shared that he read my book "from the start to the end". Tun shared which parts he found fascinating. And I learned later, from one of his senior aides, more of Tun's views on the fictional story of war between Malaysia and Singapore.

I think Tun is a fan.... I am humbled by this realisation. I thank Tun for his interest in the story and for making time to see me in person.

I am pleased to announce that Tun has written a Foreword for a revised edition of Pukul Habis. It touches on Tun's views on war and defence relations between Malaysia and Singapore.

The battle scenes in Pukul Habis apparently made an impression on Tun. The Foreword I received was measured, befitting of an elder statesman. Tun's views, placed on record in his Foreword, are something I did not expect to see. 

I thank Tun for reading the war story and arriving at the takeaway that is reflected in his message to readers.  

Btw, I did not send Tun a copy of the book. Neither did his aides get one for Tun. They do not know how Tun got a copy. To the mystery person who passed the book to Tun, a million thanks!

Pukul Habis print edition sold out at Books Kinokuniya in Malaysia and Singapore

Total sellout: Mohd Rozairi bin Marwan and Kelvin, from the Books Kinokuniya logistics team at the Ngee Ann City branch, were instrumental in keeping the shelves restocked with my first novel, Pukul Habis. Kino took a bet on the self-published title from a new author. The bookstore bought every copy printed in Singapore. The title is now sold out.

So this is a happy problem: The first edition of Pukul Habis, printed in Singapore by Times Printers, has sold out at Books Kinokuniya in Malaysia and Singapore. That first edition printed in Singapore is now a collectible because you won't find it at Kino anymore. 

For now, am looking at a reprint but nothing immediate. 

I have two prominent individuals who like the story and understand the deeper meaning and symbolism embedded in the plot. Both have kindly written to me, and I have their permission to use their letters as Forewords to the second edition.

My thanks to the Books Kinokuniya crew. Early last year, the Kino team encouraged me to print locally as the bookstore had received many enquiries about the book soon after it was launched on Amazon. Thank you Mohd Rozairi bin Marwan and Kelvin from the Kinokuniya logistics team for helping me along during those replenishment runs. I also extend my deepest appreciation to the Kino crew - Alethea, Najib, Kenny Chan and many others - for their guidance and support as I had never self-published before. Learned so much about the book trade. : )

Do stay tuned for details. Thanks to all who supported the first print run!

db

PUKUL HABIS
Books Kinokuniya branches in Singapore and Malaysia have sold out all their copies of Pukul Habis (ISBN 9789811861499). 

The book is still available from Amazon. Please check Amazon sites for your location. "Look Inside" function on some sites shows sample pages.

Singapore: https://bit.ly/3XJzInH

Australia: https://amzn.to/3ViaX0i

United Kingdom: https://amzn.to/3EZ6clA Look Inside

USA: https://amzn.to/3Ui3Eo1 Look Inside. When ordering from Singapore, click on the "Shipping to Singapore?" button. Ignore the "Temporarily out of stock" notice on the Amazon.com.

Wall Street Journal video on Singapore's defences

Yes, you might have seen a familiar face in this video.

Yes, I do look tired: The Wall Street Journal team interviewed me in January, and I had recently recovered from my second brush with COVID. Was down just after Christmas'23, cleared my ART within 5 days (compared to 11 days from my 1st COVID experience). But the breathlessness lingered and I stopped my regular 5k runs and stopped doing weights for awhile. Lost 3 kgs - which is quite a lot for an ectomorph (skinny build) - but have since regained 1kg.

Am delighted with the number of views and glad the video has given viewers, especially those in the United States, a glimpse of Singapore. Do help share with your network to nudge it past 1 million views. 😊

https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=qQQDugD0xZEUcwjE&v=LddXjew1V2Q&feature=youtu.be