Singapore actor injured during military exercise in NZ while on mandatory conscription

Singaporean actor Aloysius Pang is at Waikato Hospital. Photo / via Instagram

Singaporean actor Aloysius Pang sustained serious injuries to his chest and abdomen during a military training exercise in New Zealand, Singapore's defense ministry said.

The 28-year-old actor was injured on Saturday while he was carrying out repairs inside a Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer, a motorised piece of artillery that looks similar to a small tank.

The ministry said in a statement the actor, also known as Pang Wei Chong, was participating in Exercise Thunder Warrior at the Waiouru training area on New Zealand's North Island.

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Off to serve our country. Back at the end of the month! May not be able to post much when I'm there so 等我回来 yeah =)

A post shared by 冯伟衷 Aloysius Pang (@aloypang) on Jan 5, 2019 at 2:41am PST

Pang underwent several hours of abdominal surgery at Waikato Hospital in Hamilton on Saturday and had follow-up surgery on Monday, the ministry said.

In an update today, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said Corporal First Class (NS) Pang's condition is now critical and he is in the intensive care unit.

His surgery was completed on Tuesday. It was his third.

Pang's manager and co-founder of NoonTalk Media Dasmond Koh said in an Instagram post in Chinese that although Pang's second operation was a success, his condition deteriorated after a few hours, the Strait Times.

This meant that he had to go through another round of surgery.

"Everyone is waiting for Aloysius' condition to improve... He will get better," Koh wrote.

Pang had been due to start shooting a romantic drama My One In A Million next month after Chinese New Year, but Mediacorp said that the role will now be recast to allow him to focus on his recovery.

Pang started kicked off his acting career at the age of 9 and took a break when he was 14. He returned to acting when he was 22 years old.

Pang's mother arrived in New Zealand and spoke with him in the hospital and his father and brother were due to arrive Monday.

Singapore has a policy of mandatory conscription of young men into the armed forces, police force or civil defense force. Most serve full time for two years, followed by annual training obligations.

The ministry described Pang as an "Operationally Ready National Serviceman" indicating that he had completed his full-time service. It described him as an armament technician and his rank as corporal first class.

Pang's Singapore-based agency, NoonTalk Media, wrote on Facebook that it was waiting for more information on the actor's condition from the military and his family.

"Please bear with us and join us in praying for his swift recovery," the agency wrote.

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Kicking start my 2019 with McDonald’s new limited edition Salted Egg Yolk Loaded fries! It’s their iconic French Fries covered with yummy salted egg yolk sauce blended with curry leaves to give a hint of sweet and savoury with every bite :) Their Ha Ha Cheong Gai drumlets are also back with a new Peach Pie! Hurry go grab it while stocks last! @mcdsg #TheFriesYouLove #SaltedEggYolk #Fries

A post shared by 冯伟衷 Aloysius Pang (@aloypang) on Jan 2, 2019 at 9:00pm PST

New Zealand's defense force said a member of Singapore's military was injured during a live-firing exercise that New Zealand's military hosts each year.

Singapore's defense ministry said it was investigating the incident to determine the cause.

Pang is known for his work on the movie "Young & Fabulous" (2016) as well as television series that include "The Truth Seekers" (2016) and "C.L.I.F." (2011).

- AP