Caning in Singapore - Military Caning

Military Caning

In the Singapore Armed Forces, a subordinate military court, or the officer in charge of the SAF Detention Barracks, may sentence a serviceman to a maximum of 24 strokes of the cane (with a maximum of 12 strokes per offence, 10 in the case of minors) for breaching certain military rules. In either case, the punishment must be confirmed by the Armed Forces Council before it can be administered. The minimum age for caning within the Armed Forces is 16 (now 16.5 de facto, since entry into the Armed Forces is restricted to those above that age).

Military corporal punishment is less severe than its civilian counterpart, designed not to cause undue bleeding or permanent scars. The punishment is administered on the buttocks, which are covered with a "protective guard". Caning is mainly used on recalcitrant teenage conscripts. The cane used is 6.35 millimetres (1/4 inch) in diameter (half the thickness of the prison/judicial cane) though it is about the same length. This is similar to the cane used in secondary schools. However, the offender is bound in a bent-over position to an A-frame just like the one used in judicial caning.

No statistics have been published as to how many military personnel are caned.