NSF, 25, charged with evading national service for over 5 years
SINGAPORE —A full-time national serviceman (NSF) was charged at the State Courts on Thursday (9 May) for evading his NS obligations for more than five years.
Thirumal Pavithran, 25, allegedly remained outside Singapore without a valid exit permit for five years, seven months and 16 days.
The Singapore permanent resident (PR) from India purportedly travelled in and out of Singapore on four occasions between 1 November 2010 and 7 July 2016 without the permit.
All males liable for NS must get an exit permit if they travel overseas for three months or longer, after they turn 16-and-a-half until conscription.
Thirumal eventually enlisted on 13 May 2017.
He currently holds the rank of Corporal First Class and will complete his full-time NS on Sunday.
The case will be mentioned again on 23 May. Thirumal, who does not have a lawyer, is out on $10,000 bail.
If found guilty of remaining outside Singapore without a valid exit permit, he faces up to three years’ jail along with a fine of up to $10,000 per charge.
In a statement on Thursday, the defence ministry said, “If we allow Singapore citizens or PRs who are overseas to evade NS or to choose when they want to serve NS, we are not being fair to the vast majority of our national servicemen who serve their country dutifully, and the institution of NS will be undermined.”
In September last year, Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen said that over the last 10 years, there have been an average of 350 NS defaulters each year.
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