S’porean Returned to S’pore After Skipping NS, Saying It Was Voluntary But Prosecutor Claimed Otherwise

By
Chew Ming Hui
-

Last Updated on 2023-05-05 , 9:52 pm

It’s no secret that “NS boyfriends” are notorious in the Singaporean dating scene, but what about “skip NS for ten years boyfriend”?

A 29-year-old Singaporean finally returned to Singapore after skipping NS for over ten years.

All it cost him was six months in jail.

Singaporean Sentenced to Six Months’ Jail After Skipping NS

On Friday (28 April), Vin Lau Jun Sheng was sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to one charge under the Enlistment Act. A second charge was taken into consideration for sentencing.

Specifically, the 29-year-old failed to return to Singapore from August 2010 to October 2020 even though he was supposed to—his exit permit had expired.

Out with golden retriever boys or doberman boys—the newest baddies in town are “skip NS for ten years” boys.

Man Skipped NS for Ten Years by Living in Hong Kong

So, what exactly is the lore behind Lau’s ten years “on the run”? Well, he wasn’t exactly “on the run”. In fact, you could even say he was just bing-chilling.

Lau started out like most of us, being born in Singapore. His father was a Hong Kong citizen, while his mother was a Singaporean.

After his parents divorced in 1997, three-year-old Lau was taken by his father to live in Hong Kong. His mother remained in Singapore.

Is it just me, or is this starting to sound like a movie plot?

Fast forward to years later when Tekong came knocking on his door—Lau, in true “movie thug” fashion, didn’t even bother discovering more about his NS obligations, according to the prosecutor. This was despite his mother informing him about his obligation to return to Singapore and serve the nation like everyone else.

This is why people say you should always listen to your mother.

Subsequently, Lau’s mother decided to apply for an exit permit on Lau’s behalf so that he could continue staying in Hong Kong. However, even after the permit’s expiry in July 2010, Lau failed to return to Singapore.

Ah… If it isn’t the bane of the Central Manpower Base’s existence.

Lau registered to serve the nation a few months later, after which his mother applied to defer Lau’s enlistment pending the renunciation of his Singapore citizenship. However, Lau’s application for deferment failed as certain documents were missing.

As you would have guessed—if even Joseph Schooling needs to serve NS, it goes without saying that Lau probably can’t escape the grasp of the Central Manpower Base as well. If Milo and a gold medal can’t save you, nothing can.

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Despite multiple letters issued by authorities urging Lau to report to the Central Manpower Base, Lau still refused to return to Singapore. At this point, you could even say that he’s just playing hard to get.

Guess he enjoys the chase.

In 2011, Lau suddenly cut off all contact with his mother, landing him in a police gazette and blacklist. Only nine years later, in 2020, did he reconnect with his mother again when he informed her he intended to return to Singapore with his wife and child.

Lau returned to Singapore in October 2020, reported to the Central Manpower Base after serving a 14-day stay-home notice, and has since “ORD lo!”.

Sian. Serve finish NS, still kena jailed anyway.

Man Claims Return to Singapore was Voluntary; Prosecutor Claims Otherwise

Under what circumstances would you siam NS for a decade, then decide to return anyway, knowing you might land in jail when you do?

For family, perhaps?

Lau claims that he returned voluntarily with his wife and child so that they could settle down and attain Singapore citizenship. However, the prosecutor claimed otherwise—probably figured that Lau was no Dom Toretto.

Instead, the prosecutor claimed that Lau’s voluntary return to Singapore was “merely tactical, rather than arising from any genuine remorse”.

Further, Lau’s business in Hong Kong had closed down thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was probably one of the reasons he decided to return to Singapore.

The prosecutor explained that usually, NS defaulters return to Singapore only when their legal status in other countries is in jeopardy, or in this case, due to some personal reasons.

Accordingly, the prosecutor requested six to eight months of jail for Lau since Lau had no prior convictions. With reference to the sentencing framework set out by the High Court in 2017 for NS defaulters, Lau could have been sentenced to anywhere between five to eight months in jail for siam-ing NS for an entire decade.

Lau was eventually sentenced to six months in jail and earned a reputation as being the 22nd NS defaulter to be sentenced to jail since 2017.

If only Lau had enlisted earlier—he would have learnt the unofficial SAF core value: “Do anything, but don’t get caught”. Well, at least he got the first part right.

NS Defaulters: The Saga

Lau isn’t the first of his kind. In the history of NS, multiple Singaporeans have made headlines by doing the unthinkable—defaulting on NS.

Just last year, 33-year-old Novriandy Rizaldy pleaded guilty to three charges under the Enlistment Act for evading NS for more than four years after he left Singapore for Batam. He was eventually sentenced to 24 weeks in jail.

A few years back, in 2016, 24-year-old Brian Joseph Chow siam-ed NS for six years to pursue his studies in Australia. While he was only initially sentenced to a fine of $4,500, upon appeal, the fine was set aside, and a jail term of one and a half months was imposed instead.

An even older case which might be more familiar to many is the notorious case of Melvyn Tan—the classical pianist that left Singapore in 1969, only to be arrested when he returned in 2007. He was fined $3,000 for his evasion of NS, causing a public outcry about his sentence being too lenient.

Aside from the Ah Boys to Men franchise or movies about durian, perhaps Jack Neo can consider making his next film about NS defaulters.

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

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Chew Ming Hui
Email: [email protected]