In a Bernama report today, Nizam said the armed forces always ensured that its training SOPs were fully complied with.

Nizam said parents should not be worried about allowing their children to join the armed forces as bullying was not part of military culture, adding that armed forces’ training was focussed on building the character and resilience expected of servicemen and servicewomen.

“All the SOPs have been reviewed; so far, there are no shortcomings in the training SOPs that have been implemented in terms of reporting and daily training. All SOPs have already been updated,” he told reporters at the United Nations medal presentation ceremony for the Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) 850-12 in Port Dickson.

“Serving in the armed forces is not something to be feared. In fact, it is a sacrifice for the country, so parents should not fear (sending their children to train with the armed forces).

“It is not easy to wear this uniform. Our training may appear tough to the public, but it is necessary to become the backbone of the nation’s sovereignty.

“Members of the armed forces have to abide by a code of conduct, and they will face action if they violate any rule.”

On Tuesday, the Attorney-General’s Chambers instructed the police to launch a murder investigation into the death of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia reserve army cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin, who died on July 28 under unclear circumstances while undergoing training at the Army Combat Training Centre in Ulu Tiram, Johor.

He was reported to have suffered a seizure before his death, and the case was classified as sudden death.

However, his mother had alleged that her son’s body had bruises and injuries consistent with physical assault rather than a seizure.

The family’s lawyer, Naran Singh, said the second post-mortem report by forensic expert Siew Sheue Feng indicated that Syamsul had sustained “severe neck injuries” while he was alive.