Too Hui Min's father grieves as he looks at his daughter's (inset) body. The teenager died during National Service training. -- PHOTO: THE STAR

Too Hui Min, 18, complained of an upset stomach on Wednesday during firearms training at a jungle camp in central Selangor state and died soon after she was taken to a hospital. Officials said a colon infection was the cause of her death.

She was the 16th trainee to die since the National Service training began four years ago, prompting renewed calls for the character-building programme for young people to be scrapped.

Her father, Mr Too Jong Sing, said they were seeking legal redress because they did not believe she died of a colon infection. Hui Min did not have any health problems, he said.

'We cannot accept the official explanation. She is a healthy girl. We want to know the truth,' he told The Associated Press.

The health ministry has said it is still investigating the death.

Officials from the National Service department could not be reached on Sunday for comment.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak has insisted the training programme will continue, but the government plans to send all trainees for medical checkups at public and private hospitals.

At present, trainees only make a declaration of their health status before they join the three-month program. Officials have maintained that previous deaths at camps were mostly due to illnesses beyond trainers' control.

National service is mandatory for 17- and 18-year-old high school graduates, but recruits are chosen at random by the government.

The three-month programme, during which trainees are based in forest camps, includes community service and military-style physical training. The programme aims to instill discipline, patriotism and racial unity among teenagers, but has often been criticised for alleged lack of supervision and disciplinary problems. -- AP