National Service (NS) in Singapore is a mandatory conscription and duty that every single male Singaporean citizen and Permanent Resident has to go through in his life.
NS can be served in the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Singapore Police Force.
It has been defined as the bedrock of Singapore’s defence ever since its independence in 1965.
If one were to try to escape from their conscript, they would be punished.
This is exactly what happened to Novriandy Rizaldy, when he was caught by the authorities for defaulting NS when he came back to Singapore to have his passport renewed.
Initially Deferred from Service
Back in 2007, Rizaldy registered for his NS duties. However, he quickly submitted a letter of deferment to request for his NS obligations to be deferred as he was studying a Nitec course at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
He was given a deferment until 2008.
However, in 2008, Rizaldy requested for another deferment as he wanted to take up a Higher Nitec Course at ITE, but when asked for proof, Rizaldy could not produce it.
He would then submit a letter of certification from Lasalle College of the Arts, which states that Rizaldy would be pursuing a diploma there between 2008 and 2011.
In 2010, the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) was notified by Laselle that Rizaldy had stopped schooling.
Rizaldy was then notified to attend a medical screening in Feb 2010, but he did not show up.
Records show that he left Singapore for Batam in Jan 2010 without a valid exit permit to live with his parents there.
Came back to Renew Passport
Rizaldy finally returned to Singapore in April 2015 to renew his passport so that he would not be deported from Batam and could continue living there.
Upon his arrival, CMPB contacted Rizaldy to inform him of his wrongdoings and reminded him to serve his NS and enlist in Aug 2015.
However, after collecting his passport, he left for Batam once again.
After four more years, Rizaldy returned to Singapore once more in Dec 2019 to renew his passport again.
This time, he was arrested.
According to the prosecutor, Rizaldy returned in 2015 to renew his passport and the authorities allowed it because he said he would serve his NS. However, he ran away after receiving his passport.
The prosecution is currently seeking 24 weeks of jail for Rizaldy under the charges based on the Enlistment act.
Since returning to Singapore, Rizaldy has served his two years of NS with the Singapore Civil Defence Force. He used this as a contributing factor when he asked for leniency from the judge.
The sentencing will be on 27 Dec.
Deferring from NS
Typically, the Singapore government would only allow applicants to defer until they finish their Diplomas or “A” levels.
Those that want to pursue their education outside of Singapore would have to apply for an Exit Permit and furnish a bond.
Furthermore, applicants would have to submit proof of their education by submitting a letter of enrolment from their educational institutions.
Under the Enlistment Act, an offender who fails to enlist without a valid reason can be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to three years.
For more information about NS deferment, you can read up on it here.
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