ARMY chief Zamrose Mohd Zain today indicated that online gambling addiction is a leading cause of mental health problems among armed forces personnel, resulting in erratic behaviour and even fatalities.

A joint study undertaken by the Royal Air Force and army found that mental health and productivity are affected when personnel are plagued by financial problems due to the addiction.

“Online gambling is the main reason why army personnel lose their money, drug abuse comes in second. These two cause personnel to act out of control and do all sorts of erratic things,” said Zamrose.

He added that the army has several methods to overcome the problem, including organising year-round counselling sessions.

“One thing that can reduce these issues is faith. It doesn’t matter what religion; if their faith is strong, they can control themselves and not commit these acts.

“We also have the Armed Forces Religious Corps and psychologists.”

The country was recently shaken by two shooting cases involving armed forces personnel.

The first saw four personnel killed at an armed forces camp in Kota Samarahan, and the second saw an army officer shoot himself after shooting his in-law in Kuching. Both incidents occurred in Sarawak.

Meanwhile, Zamrose said 10 control posts will be built along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border next year, to balance the posts built by Indonesia. – Bernama, January 22, 2022.