Every Singaporean knows the severity of skipping National Service (NS). You can receive a fine or even jail time for evading NS.
One man who deserted his NS post in Nov 1992 finally returned to Singapore in Jan 2021, after 28 long years.
Soh Choon Wee had spent decades in Malaysia and the United Kingdom (UK) before heading home.
He cited the Covid-19 situation in the UK and his desire to see his family again for why he returned to Singapore.
A district court sentenced Soh, now aged 50, to six-and-a-half years in jail on Monday (24 July) for the desertion.
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reports that Soh had enlisted for national service in Dec 1990. In Oct 1992, he was posted to the Construction Brigade Monitoring Unit at Jalan Bahar Camp.
According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the Construction Brigade was the first NS vocation for the Civil Defence Command, the SCDF’s precursor. They were trained in building construction and repair.
Soh failed to report for duty on 16 Nov 1992.
The police arrested Soh in Mar 1993 and instructed him to return to his post. Instead, Soh avoided the police by renting a flat to live in.
SCDF officers went to his address on multiple occasions, but he was not there, CNA reported.
Soh worked as a handyman before leaving for Malaysia in 1998.
From Malaysia, Soh then moved to the UK where he lived and worked as a washer in a restaurant for just £150 (S$257) a week. He would eventually return to Singapore in Jan 2021, 23 years after departing the country.
His lawyer said that Soh had missed his family in Singapore. In addition, his mother had advised him to leave the UK due to Covid-19.
In the same month, the UK underwent its highest lockdown restrictions due to the Alpha variant of Covid-19.
Source: Sky News
The SCDF arrested Soh within weeks of his arrival in Singapore.
The court’s sentence of six-and-a-half years’ jail is the longest prison sentence given to an NS deserter.
Other NS evasion cases had received sentences such as 16 weeks, and five years and eight months.
The prosecution had asked for an even longer sentence of seven-and-a-half to eight-and-a-half years in jail. They emphasised the length of the desertion period and the fact that the 50-year-old could no longer complete his NS duties.
Soh also had a stroke and suffered from kidney failure, requiring dialysis thrice a week.
His’s lawyer said that Soh had assumed the authorities had “given him a chance” when he left Singapore without issue.
The judge noted that Soh had returned voluntarily, and had not committed any other crimes. However, he never completed his NS obligations.
Nor were the personal circumstances enough to be a strong mitigating factor for his sentence, the judge said.
Commenters appeared largely unsympathetic to Soh’s situation.
Source: CNA on Facebook
One comment extended their pity to his parents instead.
Source: CNA on Facebook
Others, however, speculated on the costs of his medical treatments being paid for with taxpayers’ money.
Source: Reddit
The severity of the sentence highlights the importance that Singapore places on its compulsory National Service.
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Featured image by MS News.
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