A Singaporean man has been sentenced to six months’ jail after defaulting on his National Service (NS) duties for over 10 years.
Source: Honeykids Asia. Photo for illustration purposes only.
The 29-year-old left Singapore 16 years ago and stayed in Hong Kong up until 2020, where he started a family of his own.
However, he decided to return to Singapore after shuttering his business due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite being aware that he would face jail time, he came back anyway to help his wife and child obtain a Singaporean citizenship.
Vin Lau Jun Sheng, 29, was born in Singapore in 1994 to a local woman and a Hong Kong citizen.
Following his parents’ divorce in 1997, Mr Lau moved to Hong Kong with his father while his mother remained in Singapore.
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported that he was aware of his NS obligations as his mother had informed him.
However, he supposedly ignored it to continue living in Hong Kong, according to the prosecutor.
In November 2009, Mr Lau’s mother applied for an exit permit that allowed him to defer until July 2010.
In spite of this, Mr Lau stayed on in Hong Kong even after the permit expired.
He then registered for NS in September 2010.
Meanwhile, his mother allegedly applied for a full deferment from the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) while waiting for Mr Lau’s renunciation of his citizenship to go through.
Due to some missing documents, however, the deferment application was incomplete and deemed invalid.
CMPB ended up sending him letters urging him to report for duty.
Regardless, Mr Lau’s mother said that he refused to return.
By March 2011, Mr Lau had cut off all contact with his mother.
At the same time, the Singapore police had put him on a gazette and blacklisted him.
According to CNA, Mr Lau only contacted his mother in March 2020.
By this time, he already had a wife and child in Hong Kong.
When his automobile repair shop closed down in August 2020, Mr Lau made plans to return to Singapore.
After discussing with his wife, they agreed that getting Singaporean citizenship for her and their child was the “best option”.
Now aware of her son’s intention to settle down in Singapore, Mr Lau’s mother told him he would need to serve NS when he returns.
She also cautioned him that he had committed an offence for defaulting 10 years ago.
As such, Mr Lau was aware of the possibility of jail time and a fine.
Despite that, he claimed that he was “prepared for the consequences” if it meant he can stay in Singapore and bring his family over.
Mr Lau reportedly returned to Singapore on 3 Oct 2020 and served a 14-day stay-home-notice (SHN) before enlisting in NS.
Source: Google Maps
It’s understood that he has since completed his duties.
In his sentencing today (28 Apr), Mr Lau pleaded guilty to one charge under the Enlistment Act for defaulting on his NS from August 2010 to October 2020.
The prosecutor had asked the court to sentence Mr Lau to six to eight months, saying that his voluntary surrender was a tactical move rather than one made out of “genuine remorse”.
They posited that he was motivated by his personal interests, like other defaulters who decided to prioritise personal goals over their NS obligations.
His jail term of six months is apparently in line with the High Court’s sentencing framework for NS defaulters.
According to the framework, those who default on NS for seven to 10 years will face a jail term between five and eight months.
This goes up to 24 to 36 months for those who have defaulted for 17 to 23 or more years.
Mr Lau’s conviction makes him the 22nd defaulter to be sentenced since the High Court established the framework in 2017.
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Featured image adapted from Officer Cadet School, Singapore on Facebook, for illustration purposes only.
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