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THE Defence Minister has confirmed that preliminary investigations found no physical contact between the late PALAPES cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin and any Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) trainer prior to the 22-year-old’s sudden death during a training session in Johor on 28 July.
Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the cadet had been attending a non-residential programme at the Ulu Tiram Army Training Centre (PULADA), commuting from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) on the day of the incident.
“The cadet came from UTM. He attended the training programme on 28 July and did not stay overnight at the camp. He travelled back and forth from UTM,” Khaled said. “So firstly, there was no physical contact from the trainer. He arrived in the morning, joined the training, and the incident occurred during the session—he became unconscious.”
He added that ATM’s internal investigation, launched on 29 July, involved questioning trainers and other cadets present at the time, as Syamsul Haris had already been transported to hospital on the day of the incident.
“The ATM investigation focused on interviewing the trainers and fellow cadets who were there. More than 30 individuals were questioned, as the training was conducted in an open area in full view of many others,” Khaled said. “If there had been any excessive physical aggression, the trainees would have seen and reported it.”
Khaled stressed that the full outcome of the investigation hinges on the results of the second post-mortem, which has yet to be released.
Syamsul Haris collapsed during a military training session and was pronounced dead later that day. He was buried on 29 July at the Islamic cemetery in Kampung Rinching Hulu.
His mother, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, has since filed for an exhumation and a second post-mortem, citing concerns over the circumstances of her son’s death. The second autopsy was conducted on 30 August at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), and the family is also seeking to initiate inquest proceedings. - Sept 4, 2025