alyasa |
09.28.2007 01:15 PM |
Male Singaporean citizens and permanent residents alike are required to register for National Service upon reaching the age of 16½ years old, during which, they would also be required to undergo a mandatory medical examination to determine their medical status, known as Physical Emplyment Status (PES), which would be used as a guideline as to which vocation the person would be placed in.
They are then called up for enlistment at the age of 18, although most Singaporean males would usually choose to complete their tertiary education in the respective Polytechnics, High Schools, Junior Colleges, Pre-University courses or other institutions before commencing the mandatory duration in which they are required to serve.
Those who voluntarily opt for early enlistment with the consent of their parents are allowed to commence full-time national service at the age of 16½.
The duration of the conscription for a typical Singaporean male usually spans over a period of 2 or 2½ years depending on his educational qualifications. As an incentive of some sort, the duration may be cut by a further 2 months, if potential enlistees are able to obtain a silver or gold for their physical fitness test (NAPFA) prior to enlistment. The duration of National Service has since undergone some minor changes and it now stands at a period of 1 years 10 months to a maximum of 2 years.
Exemptions are rare and are usually due to disability or serious medical conditions certified by the SAF Medical Board. One instance of rare cases of exemption would be if the enlistment would cause hardship to the enlistee's family, be it financially or otherwise, although this particular exemption is rarely granted.
Male children who take up permanent residency status through their permanent resident parent's sponsorship will be required to serve National Service like other Singaporean males. However, foreigners who take up jobs in Singapore or become permanent residents of Singapore will not be required to serve National Service.
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Those who are liable to serve national service, but refuse to, are charged under the Enlistment Act. If convicted, face imprisonment for a period of three years and a fine of S$10,000. The penalties were increased in January 2006 after a Singapore-born pianist, Melvyn Tan, received a fine for defaulting on his national service obligations. In parliament, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean provided some illustration of the punishments defaulters would face;- Where the default period exceeds two years but the defaulter is young enough to serve his full-time and operationally ready NS duties in full, MINDEF will press for a short jail sentence.
- Where the defaulter has reached an age when he cannot serve his full-time NS in a combat vocation or fulfil his operationally ready NS obligations in full, a longer jail sentence to reflect the period of NS he has evaded may be appropriate.
- Where the defaulter has reached an age when he cannot be called up for NS at all, a jail sentence up to the maximum of three years may be appropriate.
Each year, a small number of people are convicted for their failure to enlist or refusal to serve in the military. Most of them are Jehovah's Witnesses, who are usually court-martialled and sentenced to three years of imprisonment, although they are usually held in a low security detention facility and separated from other military offenders. Conscientious objection is not a legal reason for refusing to serve NS. Since 1972, Jehovah's Witnesses as a religious group has been banned in Singapore.
In addition, male Singaporeans who did not serve National Service, and subsequently relinquished their Singaporean citizenship have been refused work permits or even student visas.
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