Man, 25, charged for failing to report for national service, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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Man, 25, charged for failing to report for national service

This article is more than 12 months old

A 25-year-old man was charged in court yesterday after he allegedly failed to report for enlistment into full-time national service (NS) for more than three years.

Zaley Cheng Xi Xiong, a Singapore citizen, is accused of two offences under the Enlistment Act.

He allegedly failed to report for enlistment from June 10, 2014, to Aug 30, 2017. He is also said to have remained outside Singapore without a valid exit permit between May 19, 2014, and Aug 29, 2017.

The court documents did not say where he had been living overseas.

The Enlistment Act applies to all male Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged from 161/2 to 40, or 50 in the case of military officers.

They have to register for NS at 161/2 and enlist at 18, though deferments are allowed for those still studying up to A levels, a polytechnic diploma or their equivalent.

Full-time national servicemen who pursue local medical degrees and are selected for the Local Medical Disruption Scheme, as well as Public Service Commission scholarship holders, are granted disruption for university studies.

Those who leave Singapore at a young age with their families to take up foreign citizenship in another country are still liable for NS.

Singapore does not allow dual citizenship but minors can hold two passports up to the age of 21, when they have to decide whether to renounce Singapore citizenship.

In September, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said an average of 350 people had defaulted on NS each year over the past 10 years.

Cheng is out on bail of $10,000 and will be back in court on Feb 4.

If convicted of offences under the Enlistment Act, he can be jailed for up to three years and fined up to $10,000 for each charge. - SHAFFIQ ALKHATIB

COURT & CRIME