"Dutiful Son" jailed 4 mths for evading NS

[Cootie-Monster]

'Dutiful son' told: NS comes first

by Shaffiq Alkhatib

05:55 AM Sep 01, 2010

SINGAPORE - For five years, Goh Khim Song evaded National Service (NS). And when he was caught, he was fined $3,000.

 

But the prosecution said the sentence was too light.

 

In the High Court yesterday, Justice V K Rajah agreed and jailed Goh, 28, for four months.

 

Goh, a supervisor with a courier company, had registered for NS on Oct 2, 2002. He then applied for a deferment to study in a polytechnic but dropped out.

 

On Aug 1, 2005, officers from the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) gave a reporting order to Goh's mother. Goh was supposed to report to CMPB for a medical checkup two days later but he did not turn up.

 

Officers continued visiting Goh's flat between 2005 and last year, and even tried to ambush him there, without success. Police arrested him on April 26 this year. MediaCorp understands he had surrendered.

 

He pleaded guilty on June 2 and was fined $3,000. But in the High Court yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Lee told Justice Rajah that a fine was "grossly and manifestly inadequate" and asked for a jail sentence instead.

 

Goh claimed he was not aware of the order or of the officers' visits and that he did not try to escape.

 

Goh said he had to support his mother, who was ill and unable to work, and a 25-year-old brother who is studying at a local university. He had intended to serve his NS after his only sibling was able to support their mother in his place.

 

Justice Rajah said that while Goh "may have been a dutiful son", NS obligations had the highest priority, ahead of studies and personal matters. Goh was ordered to report for NS immediately after his release from prison.

[So_nice]

wow can siam so many yrs in sg? wonder wat the mp are doing lolx

[Hiphiphoray]

Har ? Still have to serve NS @ 28. OMG!!!

 

Wonder what vocation he will be given. Maybe a guard at petro branca.

[Gearoil]

Dutiful son?

 

What a misleading title!

 

TS wake up your idea!

 

Sinkie peasant thinks he is a white horse, so can anyhow think when he can serve NS is it?

[Cootie-Monster]

Usually I would support heavy punishment but with so many interloping opportunists sashaying in and out of the country these days, I feel a bit sorry for this guy.

 

Related to another thread, obviously no one at the courier company did a background check on this guy?

[Cootie-Monster]

Dutiful son?

 

What a misleading title!

 

TS wake up your idea!

 

Sinkie peasant thinks he is a white horse, so can anyhow think when he can serve NS is it?

 

The judge call him a "dutiful son", not me

[Actan72]

I remember last time in my camp, there is one guy, he awol for 18months.

Then one day, he walk back to the camp and surrender himself...

His reason is he have to earn $$ to support his parent and siblings..

Eventually, he got sentence for 40days DB..

[Dogbert1973]

Sometimes we have to pity some of these guys

 

During my NS, there was one guy, had 2 young kids, wife not working looking after the kids, parents old and not working. Low education guy, was working at the port doing unloading of container before NS.

 

Every 1-2 weeks the guy went AWOL for a few days

 

one day I spoke to him and asked him why he keep going AWOL, he told me before kenna NS he was earning about $50 - $80 per day unloading containers, so he gets about $1.5 to $2k a month to pay all his household bills

 

once kenna NS, the service pay was like $200! he asked me, how to feed his children, family and parents like that. He said he don't think so much, work first, if have to go DB just go (I think carry sandbag PT in DB lighter than unloading containers, ha ha)

 

so he said no choice, he has to go AWOL and work at the port to give money to his family

 

and it was true, because everytime they want to catch him, they just need to go to the port to find him (this was long time ago, no such thing as high security at PSA yet)

 

the CO and RSM also understanding, many times coverup by giving him off in lieu, use annual leave, then no choice one in awhile charge him go DB a few days.

 

[Aristotle]

Got valid reasons also must serve mah! What dutiful sons, then we are also called dutiful sons. It looks more like an evader to me, siam here siam there, then no choice liao then go surrender. Usually NS, if really got valid reasons to support family, they will allow you to work part-time outside after 5pm (if I'm not wrong).

[Kingcopa]

I remember last time in my camp, there is one guy, he awol for 18months.

Then one day, he walk back to the camp and surrender himself...

His reason is he have to earn $$ to support his parent and siblings..

Eventually, he got sentence for 40days DB..

this is nothing wor. During my NS time.... attached to S1 branch before ORD. Looking at some of the personal folder of some NS men... some AWOL for duno how many yrs liao still cannot catch them.

[Machspeed]

I remember last time in my camp, there is one guy, he awol for 18months.

Then one day, he walk back to the camp and surrender himself...

His reason is he have to earn $$ to support his parent and siblings..

Eventually, he got sentence for 40days DB..

 

Sounds familiar.. I have 1 guy (a cook) went awol more than once and every time for more than 1 month.. Always the same reason, earn money to support the family..

 

When he surrendered the last time, his docket is thicker than 2 phone books..

 

 

[Mustank]

i understand that rsm are usually sympathetic to poor chaps (like me) and would close one eye for richer chaps to sell christmas, valetine day, weekend duties to poor chaps.......can make quite a sum if the camp got many rich chaps

[Mustank]

i think this guy should sign on first....at least can put food on the table......

[The_Bear]

There is always an option to sign on as a regular if money is a problem. I know its a bad choice but when no money, choice kilanz.

[Joseph22]

There is always an option to sign on as a regular if money is a problem. I know its a bad choice but when no money, choice kilanz.

 

 

no just that. you can request with the army to be allow to work part time outside of army time.

 

most of the time will allow one if it geninue case. if cannot go call SAF hotline or MP.

[Mustank]

las time, i got one sgt who cycles from cck to sungei gedong to work everyday....he will tabao food from cookhouse for his family to eat

 

i ask him why he sign on, he say he no skill, got family, got kids, where got choice......

 

he dammm bloody goot lat got one time he work on a tank and fell down (i think he work until fatigue set in liao )

 

before i left, he promote from sgt to staff sgt.....go for 1st incamp, encik liao

Edited September 1, 2010 by Mustank

[Kxbc]

Not that I think they should AWOL but some of these AWOL really got good reasons eg feed family, only breadwinner. I would believe most commanders are sympathetic to their situation and will do what they can within their powers to "close one eye" but the thing is that these commanders must know the real situation and there must be a 2-way communication between them. Sadly, a lot of such cases may be the hokkien peng kind (at least our time in the 70s to early 90s. now no more liao) and communication to their commanders may be the last thing to be considered. They are the kind: do first and hope don't get caught.

[Cootie-Monster]

Found this on EDMW. Use your own discretion

 

My section buddy from reservist was diagnosis with leukemia n had to seek treatment overseas. He was so sick n could barely walk. When he called camp to defer his ICT due to his sickness, they insist that he turn up in camp to produce all his documents which he did not.

 

When he came back to singapore, he was locked up at custom for failing to attend his ICT(AWOL). He spend the day in a cell b4 my OC came n got him out. He passed away a week later.

 

You can die but u cannot siam ur NS obligations.