“You can run but you cannot hide.”
For those who are thinking of trying to “siam” (escape) your NS liability, think again.
Because a 50-year-old NS deserter wasn’t given a chance at all, despite what he believed.
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Here’s what you need to know.
Man Jailed for 6.5 Years After Skipping NS for Around 28 Years
On 24 July 2023, Soh Choon Wee, 50 years old, was sentenced to 6.5 years in jail.
The reason for his sentencing? Deserting his NS post for around 28 years.
Soh enlisted as a full-time Construction Brigade NSF in the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) back December 1990.
In 1992, he was posted to the Construction Brigade Monitoring Unit located at Jalan Bahar Camp to continue his NS in October 1992.
However, on 16 Nov 1992, Soh did not turn up for his NS duty.
On Mar 1993, Soh was arrested at his registered address by the police. Then, he was told to report back to camp a week later.
However, Soh didn’t turn up, both for his duty and in court.
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He also didn’t stay at his registered address anymore. Instead, he avoided arrest by staying in a rental flat.
SCDF officers visited his registered address several times but couldn’t locate him.
Traveled to Malaysia, Then The United Kingdom
Soh didn’t stay in Singapore throughout these 28 years.
He worked as a handyman until 1998.
Then, he left for Malaysia via the causeway.
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Soh then moved to the United Kingdom to live and work in a Chinese restaurant.
While in the UK, Soh worked as a “wash-up crew”member. He earned about £150 (S$257) a week.
Returned to Singapore Due to COVID-19 and Family
On 21 Jan 2021, Soh returned to Singapore.
According to his lawyer, Mr Wee Hong Shern, Soh had returned for two reasons.
The first was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Soh’s mother had urged for Soh to return to the country as the COVID-19 situation in the UK was bad.
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The second reason was because he missed his family, and his parents were getting old.
After Soh returned to Singapore, he was placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) for a few weeks before being arrested by the SCDF.
Sentencing
6.5 years in prison may be one of the longest, if not the longest, jail term for such an offence.
But Soh could’ve gotten a longer one.
The prosecution had initially asked for 7.5 to 8.5 years as Soh had a previous conviction of going AWOL (absent without official leave).
It was also pointed out that Soh evaded arrest by not staying at his registered address. His current age also doesn’t allow him to “make up” for his NS obligations.
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Soh’s lawyer, however, asked for four to five years’ jail.
According to his lawyer, Soh had thought the government was giving him “a chance” when he was able to leave Singapore for Malaysia.
In addition, Soh had suffered a stroke which requires operation in March 2021 and has kidney failure which requires him to go for dialysis three times a week.
The judge eventually sentenced Soh to six-and-a-half years in jail.
While the personal circumstances told by Soh’s lawyer were not a strong mitigating factor, Soh had been crime-free during the desertion period and had returned to Singapore voluntarily.
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In other words, if you have NS obligations, just serve them.
Soh isn’t the first to be punished for trying to escape NS obligations. Earlier this year in April, a 29-year-old man was jailed for six months a movie-like plot. You can read more here.
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