29-year-old Singaporean man, Vin Lau Jun Sheng, was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment yestyerday (28 April) after defaulting on his National Service (NS) duties for more than 10 years, according to Channel NewsAsia.
He had pleaded guilty to one charge under the Enlistment Act for defaulting on his NS from August 2010 to October 2020.
Lau left Singapore 16 years ago and stayed in Hong Kong to start his own family until 2020 when he decided to come back to Singapore after his business failed during the pandemic.
He returned to Singapore to help his wife and child get Singaporean citizenship despite knowing that he would be jailed for evading NS.
Lau was born in Singapore in 1994 to a Singaporean woman and a Hong Kong citizen, and after his parents divorced in 1997, he moved with his father to Hong Kong while his mother stayed in Singapore.
He was aware of his national service obligations after being informed by his mother but ignored it to stay in Hong Kong.
His mother then applied for an exit permit for him in November 2009, allowing Lau to defer his NS until July 2010, but he remained in Hong Kong after the permit expired before registering for NS in September 2010.
At the same time, his mother also applied for a full deferment for his from CMPB while waiting for him to renounce his Singapore citizenship, but it fell through because of missing documents and his deferment application then became invalid.
Lau then received letters from the CMPB asking his to report for NS duties, but Lau refused to return and by March 2011, he had cut off all contact with his mother.
He was then put on a gazette and blacklisted by the Singapore Police Force.
After Lau’s automobile repair shop closed down in August 2020 during the pandemic, he planned to return to Singapore after discussing with his wife and agreeing that a Singapore citizenship for her and their child was the best option moving forward.
His mother, now aware that he wants to settle down in Singapore, told him that if he returns he would need to serve NS and warned him that he had committed an offence when he defaulted on his NS duties 10 years ago.
Lau knew that he was facing possible imprisonment and a fine, but said he was prepared for the consequences because he wanted to bring his family over to Singapore.
He then came back on 3 October 2020 and served a 14-day SHN, before he enlisted for national service, which he has completed since.