According to Taiwanese media, a group of National Service reservists from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) took a photo of themselves having a break during an annual military exercise known as Starlight this year. Little did they expect that their photo would go viral in Taiwanese social media, with Taiwanese netizens and news media criticizing them for being ill disciplined and acting like they were at home.
The 2 photos that have gone viral show the soldiers drinking beer, gambling and playing with their handphones. According to Taiwanese netizens, the photos were uploaded on Facebook by the soldiers in the photos themselves. One of the soldiers who uploaded the photos had even boasted that going for an exercise in Taiwan was "relaxing". The other photo showed a fridge full of beer stocked by the soldiers for their break time.
Taiwanese netizens and media have jumped on this chance to criticize the soldiers, scolding them for being ill-disciplined and treating an army base like their home.
The SAF and Ministry of Defence say they will be conducting investigations into this incident.