RESERVISTS' PASSPORTS (Extension of validity period)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Mr Lew Syn Pau asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Defence whether he will consider extending the validity period of the passports of reservists from two years to ten years, the same as for non-reservists.

Mr Lew Syn Pau (Tanglin): Question No. 1. Sir, I would like to declare my interest as a reservist.

The Senior Minister of State for Defence (Dr Lee Boon Yang) (for the Prime Minister and Minister for Defence): Mr Speaker, Sir, for operational reasons, it is essential for MINDEF to know where our reservists are so that we can recall them at short notice. This is a major consideration when deciding on the validity period of reservists' passports. We must be certain that reservists can be reached when they are needed. Hence, reservists must inform their units when they go overseas. At present, they can leave Singapore for up to six months at a time without applying for an Exit Permit. The computerised immigration system set up last year by the Immigration Department will help in keeping track of reservists who do not come back within six months of being away.

MINDEF recognises that our operational requirement will inconvenience the small number of reservists who travel regularly. Therefore, in June last year, MINDEF extended the validity of passports of reservists from one to two years. We have also set up a counter at SAFRA where reservists can extend their passports in addition to applying for Exit Permits, ie, if they are going away for more than six months. The counter is open beyond office hours, in the evening on weekdays and the afternoons on Saturdays, to make it convenient for reservists.

Mr Lew Syn Pau: Sir, is the Senior Minister of State aware that reservists are already required to inform their units when they travel overseas? If they travel for more than six months, they have to apply for an Exit Permit. Is this not enough to help MINDEF to maintain their operational readiness without having to put a limit of two years on the validity of the passport?

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware that if they travel out of Singapore for less than six months they do not need an Exit Permit but they have to inform their units. Nonetheless, MINDEF still feels that at this point of time the two-year validity is required in order to maintain the operational readiness.

Mr Lew Syn Pau: Another supplementary question, Sir. From personal experience, if you have a passport which is only valid for, say, one year and you travel abroad, the foreign immigration officials do not know what the abbreviation "NSR" in the passport means. Sometimes, they view you with a lot of suspicion and may think that you are some undesirable character whose passport has been limited to just one or two years. Could MINDEF think of some way of making the abbreviation clearer or stating it clearly in the passport the status of the reservist?

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, the present validity of reservists' passports is two years. But I thank the Member for bringing up this point about the inconvenience faced by some reservists at foreign immigration check- points. I will ask MINDEF to consult the Immigration Department on the possibility of inserting a clear explanation in the passports of reservists. For instance, we could insert a statement to say that the holder of the passport is a national service reservist and the passport of the reservist is limited to two years' validity only. This should allay his fear that reservists travelling abroad will be viewed with suspicion by foreign immigration official.