MINDEF: Youth Only Applied For Leave 2 Months Before Stipulated Deadline
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has shot down a youth’s allegations that its actions had indirectly caused him to lose his Singapore citizenship.
In an interview released on Tuesday (31 Jul), Mr Xu claimed that his rejected leave applications during NS didn’t allow him to complete his citizenship procedures.
This led him to lose his Singapore citizenship and has effectively left him stateless.
In a statement, a Ministry spokesperson implied that the rejection was a result of Mr Xu’s own irresponsibility. He reportedly only started applying for leave in July 2017. That’s just 2 months before he had to complete his citizenship formalities.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) required Mr Xu, now 23, to complete the Oath of Renunciation, Allegiance and Loyalty (ORAL) by September that year, according to AsiaOne. The process can take anywhere from a month to a year.
ICA reminded Mr Xu about the deadline twice: before he turned 21 and 6 months before he turned 22.
MINDEF added that if Mr Xu had done submitted the relevant documents – presumably earlier – the SAF would have “fully supported him”.
Left effectively stateless
The incident has left Mr Xu without a Singapore citizenship, despite fulfilling his NS obligations.
Born to a Singaporean father and Thai mother, Mr Xu was given a Singapore citizenship as a child. To retain it as an adult, ICA required him to complete the ORAL.
Prior to taking the ORAL, applicants have to complete certain procedures, among them renouncing any other foreign citizenship. Mr Xu had to visit Thailand to get necessary documents before renouncing his Thai citizenship at the embassy here.
He made the trip to Thailand in December 2017, 3 months after ICA’s deadline expired. Given this lapse, ICA revoked his Singapore citizenship in September 2017.
ICA’s decision is in line with current practice:
If one fails to take the Oath within 12 months of turning of 21, he/she will automatically lose his/her citizenship at the age of 22 years.
Mr Xu’s subsequent application for citizenship was denied, but he plans to try again.
In an interview with STOMP, he said that his entire family is based in Singapore and he has been “trying to think of ways to regain his citizenship”. He now holds a Special Pass that has to be extended every 3 months, subject to approval.
ICA has confirmed that it is reviewing Mr Xu’s latest attempt for citizenship.
Featured image from Fiveprime.
