Imprisonment for National Service Defaulters

Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Defence how many National Service (NS) defaulters have been sentenced to imprisonment for defaulting NS over the past three years and whether all NS defaulters will be sentenced to imprisonment.

Dr Ng Eng Hen: Over the past three years, five National Service (NS) defaulters have been sentenced to imprisonment by the Court.

To maintain equity of treatment and the commitment for all who are liable to serve their NS, it is necessary to take a tough stand against the few who default on their NS obligations. MINDEF will press for a custodial sentence on the NS defaulter based on the length of default and the following guidelines:

a. Short jail sentence. Where the default period exceeds two years but the defaulter is young enough to serve his full-time and Operationally Ready NS (ORNS) duties in full, MINDEF will press for a short jail sentence.

b. Longer jail sentence. Where the defaulter has reached an age when he cannot serve his full-time NS in a combat vocation or fulfil his ORNS obligations in full, MINDEF will press for a longer jail sentence to reflect the period of NS evaded.

c. Maximum jail sentence. Where the defaulter has passed the age of 40 and cannot be called up for NS at all, MINDEF will press for a jail sentence up to the maximum of three years.

The Court decides on the sentence received by NS defaulters taking into consideration the circumstances of the individual case and the sentence MINDEF has pressed for. After their punishments by the Court, NS defaulters who are still NS-liable will have to serve NS.

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