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A 29-year-old man was sentenced to six months in jail for defaulting his National Service (NS) obligations for more than 10 years.

Vin Jan Jun Sheng, a Singaporean, chose to stay in Hong Kong and defaulted his NS.

However, Lau's business in Hong Kong was affected by Covid-19, and he had to close down his business.

Lau knew he "might have to go to jail", but he and his wife decided the "best option" was to be Singapore citizens.

Lau pled guilty on Apr. 28, 2023, to one charge under the Enlistment Act of failing to return to Singapore from August 2010 to October 2020.

A second charge was taken into consideration.

Lived in Hong Kong with his father

When Lau's parents divorced in 1997, his father took him to live in Hong Kong while his mother stayed in Singapore.

Lau was three years old at that time.

Lau's mother had informed him about his NS obligations, but he "did not bother" to find out more as he wished to remain in Hong Kong with his father.

Lau's mother applied for an exit permit on behalf of Lau in November 2009 so he could study overseas.

The exit permit issued to Lau was valid till July 2010.

Refused to return to Singapore

Lau remained in Hong Kong despite his exit permit expiring, and he registered for NS in September 2010.

In February 2011, Lau's mother, on his behalf, applied for NS deferment pending renunciation of Singapore citizenship.

However, the application was incomplete as Lau's mother did not submit the relevant documents for deferment.

Authorities sent letters to Lau, informing him to report to the Central Manpower Base, but Lau's mother told Central Manpower Base that Lau refused to return to Singapore to fulfil his NS obligations.

Around the same time, Lau cut off contact with his mother. A police gazette and blacklist were raised against him.

Return to Singapore to help wife and child obtain Singapore citizenship

Lau reconnected with his mother via Facebook around March 2020. He had gotten married and had a child.

In August 2020, Lau had to shut down his automobile repair business as it was affected by Covid-19.

Lau then told his mother he intended to return to Singapore to settle down with his wife and child and obtain Singapore citizenship for them.

When Lau's mother contacted the Central Manpower Base to find out what procedures were needed for Lau to return to Singapore, she was informed that her son had committed offences under the Enlistment Act.

Lau arrived back in Singapore on Oct. 3, 2020, and served the mandatory 14-day stay-home notice at a designated facility due to Covid-19.

He later reported to the Central Manpower Base on Oct. 20, 2020 and has since completed his NS.

Found out through the Internet he would be liable to serve jail time and pay a fine

Investigations showed that Lau's mother had informed him that he had committed an offence for failing to return to Singapore to complete his NS and would be required to serve upon his return.

Lau also conducted an Internet search and discovered that he would be liable to serve a jail term and pay a fine upon returning to Singapore.

After discussing with his wife, Lau decided the "best option" was to return to Singapore and help his wife and child be Singapore citizens.

Lau said that he was "prepared to face the consequences so that in future [he] can stay  in Singapore and bring [his] family over to stay".

Voluntary surrender was motivated by personal interest

The prosecution sought a sentence of six to eight months' imprisonment even though Lau voluntarily surrendered himself.

The prosecution noted that personal interests fuelled Lau's motive. It also said that in other cases, overseas defaulters may return to Singapore because their legal status in the other country was under question, or due to family ties or professional reasons.

This would mean their voluntary surrender was tactical, instead of being due to genuine remorse.

Top photo via Basic Military Training Centre Facebook