NS is killing SG

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Singapore must sustain commitment to national service: Lawrence Wong​

DPM Lawrence Wong said Singapore enjoys peace and security because the SAF has remained a “credible deterrent force”. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Zhaki Abdullah

NOV 24, 2023

SINGAPORE - Singapore must continue to have a strong armed forces and sustain its commitment to national service amid a fragmented and volatile world, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the opening of Safra’s seventh clubhouse in Choa Chu Kang on Nov 23.
The world is more dangerous and turbulent now, he said, citing the Israel-Hamas conflict and the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Closer to home, Asia has largely been peaceful, but things could easily go wrong as a result of competition between the United States and China, and flashpoints in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, he added.
Singapore enjoys peace and security because the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has remained a “credible deterrent force”, due to generations of servicemen taking their duties seriously, DPM Wong said.
Operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) play a key role in the country’s defence, he added, highlighting how they helped operate checkpoints and supported hospitals under strain during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Safra’s newest clubhouse serves more than 90,000 SAF NSmen and their families in north-west Singapore.
The 29,000 sq ft facility has attracted more than 700,000 visitors since its soft launch in June.

Located within Choa Chu Kang Park, it features amenities such as a sheltered swimming pool, a 150m sky running track and an integrated entertainment hub with an 18-lane bowling alley.
It also has eco-friendly features such as solar panels and a rain harvesting system.

Safra’s Choa Chu Kang clubhouse serves more than 90,000 SAF NSmen and their families in north-west Singapore. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
In his speech, DPM Wong said Safra clubhouses offer quality facilities that are accessible and affordable for NSmen and their families. They are also places where servicemen can strengthen their bonds of friendship.
Safra’s efforts serve as a “small but concrete way” to show appreciation for the sacrifices NSmen make in service of the nation.
“The Government will continue to find ways to appreciate and recognise the contributions of our NSmen,” said DPM Wong, pointing to efforts such as the year-long NS55 campaign to show appreciation to NSmen and the redevelopment of the Marina Bay floating platform into NS Square, a permanent space commemorating national service.
Among those at the clubhouse’s opening were Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who is chairman of the Safra board of governors, and Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad, who is Safra’s president.
From Nov 24 to Nov 26, a carnival featuring free workout sessions, stage shows and a festive flea market will be held to celebrate Safra Choa Chu Kang’s opening.

DPM Lawrence Wong talking to EnergyOne gym member Haindy Herrman Kamish Yahaya at the opening of Safra’s clubhouse in Choa Chu Kang on Nov 23. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Mr Eric Lim, the co-founder of a sleep wellness clinic, is a regular visitor to the clubhouse. A combat medic during national service, he was stationed at Singapore Expo when it served as a Covid-19 care facility in 2020.
The 34-year-old, who uses the 18,000 sq ft EnergyOne gym at the clubhouse twice a week, also takes his three-year-old son along to play at the clubhouse’s indoor playground Bouncetopia.
He said: “For young parents like myself, we’re always on the lookout for activities we can engage our families with.”

So says a policeman.

 

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That is 2.1 Sinkies killed by NS every year.

42 national servicemen have died while in service over past 20 years: Ng Eng Hen​

SCDF personnel saluting the hearse headed for Service Hall 1 during a ceremonial procession for Sergeant (1) Edward H. Go at Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium on Dec 13, 2022. ST FILE PHOTO

Zhaki Abdullah

JAN 10, 2023

SINGAPORE – A total of 42 national servicemen died while in service over the last two decades, Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen said on Monday.

They comprise 35 from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), four from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and three from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Dr Ng said in a written reply to a parliamentary question from Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa.

Of these, six cases – two from the SAF, three from the police and one from the SCDF – were due to traffic accidents on the way to or from work, or while on official duties, Dr Ng said, noting that such incidents are covered under the Defence and Home Affairs ministries’ compensation framework.

Ms Poa had asked how many full-time and operationally ready national servicemen from the SAF, SPF and SCDF had died while in service, or had permanent disability from a service injury, over the past 20 years.

During that period, there were a total of 52 cases of permanent disability to the brain, spinal cord, eyes or limbs due to serious service-related injuries, said Dr Ng.
Forty-three were from the SAF, four from the SPF and five from the SCDF, he added. Eleven cases – eight from the SAF, one from the police and two from the SCDF – were due to traffic accidents, the minister said.

Every year, about 300,000 male Singapore citizens and permanent residents perform their national service duties across the three services, he noted. “The proportions of deaths and permanent disability due to service within the SAF, SPF and SCDF are therefore 0.001 per cent, 0.001 per cent and 0.002 per cent, respectively.”

Dr Ng said that though the rates of both death and permanent disability due to service are low, the SAF and Home Team “constantly strive to achieve a zero fatality rate”.

“Every incident is investigated at the highest levels of command, with corrective measures taken to improve the safety under which our national servicemen train and operate,” he said.

Ms Poa, from the Progress Singapore Party, had also asked about the amount of compensation paid in such cases.

All national servicemen are covered by injury and life insurance, Dr Ng replied, noting that the coverage under both policies was doubled from a maximum of $150,000 to $300,000 from Jan 1, 2023. Further compensation is provided depending on the degree of disability and circumstances of injury or death, he added.

While the total compensation for such cases takes reference from industrial benchmarks like the Work Injury Compensation Act (Wica), the amounts are set several times higher to “reflect the mandatory nature of national service”, he said.

The amounts vary considerably due to the circumstances of each case, Dr Ng said, adding that payouts have ranged from several thousand dollars to more than $1.5 million. “For the same injury and comparable circumstances, the total compensation provided to national servicemen is about four times the amounts paid under the Wica,” he said.

Servicemen who sustain service-related injuries are also provided with free medical treatment for their injury for as long as medically necessary at SAF, SPF and SCDF medical facilities, as well as public healthcare institutions, he added.

In December, 19-year-old Edward H. Go, a full-time national serviceman with the SCDF, died after battling a blaze in a rental flat in Henderson Road.

 

[Loofydralb]

NS is detrimental to the psychological development of a young adult.
Post-NS, they turn quiet, timid, reticent, lose confidence, misplace fear of authority, and become a yes-man.

It is my life long work to educate people on how to escape NS and reserve service.

There is nothing good in NS. Just watch those regulars. They're the strong indictment it is useless policy.

 

[Loofydralb]

They may say only 0.001 percent of servicemen died.

But they forgot the many many ones who in later years suffer the effects of that 2+ years and 13 cycles of reserve?

People with hearing loss. People with pinched nerves. Broken bones limiting movement and employment prospects. Head trauma and its effects when you wear a helmet and it gets snagged and jerks your spine from C1 to C4 and later in life causing head, shoulder and back pains. Crooked spine from endlessly carrying heavy equipment and many more, etc.

Psychological trauma of being forced to learn to kill and doing what you hate doing. Forced to abide and comply to things outside of reason. Kena blanket party. Kena bullied. Kena marked. Kena scapegoated. Kena discriminated. Kena shouted at for nothing. Kena punished just for having a fucked face. Kena knockdown 20 just for staring at some idiot with rank. Kena do meaningless tasks which later on proven not needed.

You will suffer the effects when old.

Save your kids and migrate.

 

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Unclear if NS defaulter Ben Davis will travel with Thai football team to Singapore for Asean Cup​

According to a Mindef statement in February 2019, Ben Davis (No. 17) did not report for NS as required and had thus defaulted on his NS commitments.PHOTO: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF THAILAND
David Lee
Nov 27, 2024

SINGAPORE – National service (NS) defaulter Ben Davis has been called up by Thailand for the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup, setting up a potential showdown with the Lions and the Singapore authorities.

On Nov 27, defending champions Thailand announced their 26-man squad for the Dec 8-Jan 5 tournament, and the selection is eye-catching as far as Singapore are concerned. The teams meet at the National Stadium for their Group A encounter on Dec 17.

When contacted, a Ministry of Defence (Mindef) spokesperson referred The Straits Times to its statement in February 2019, which said that Davis did not report for NS as required and had thus defaulted on his NS commitments. It added that he was staying overseas without a valid exit permit.

Offenders convicted of offences under the Enlistment Act can be jailed for up to three years and fined up to $10,000.

It remains to be seen if Davis will travel to Singapore for the clash. Teams can register 26 players for the tournament, but can name 23 players for their match-day squad.

The Football Association of Thailand declined to comment when contacted by ST while Davis did not respond to a request for comment.

Born in Phuket to a Thai mother and an English father, Davis moved to Singapore with his family when he was five before becoming a citizen four years later.


The midfielder played for Singapore up to Under-19 level and was called up for the senior Lions squad in 2018 but did not earn a cap. Then 17, he became the first Singaporean to sign professional terms with an English Premier League club, Fulham. However, his request to defer NS was denied.

In Parliament, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen gave three reasons why Mindef rejected his application. The first was that he was playing as an English national, as listed on Fulham’s website.

The second was that his father Harvey Davis had “consistently refused to indicate” when his son would return to do NS, if deferred, and said this was because there “are a lot of variables all dependent on his development and progression”.

Third, Mindef said Harvey had indicated that his son would still sign the contract with Fulham if deferment was not granted and would consider the option for his son to renounce his Singapore citizenship in order to pursue his career.

Six months after Mindef’s statement on Davis, he came on as an 89th-minute substitute in Fulham’s 1-0 League Cup defeat by Southampton in August 2019. He was called up a month later to Thailand’s provisional squad for the 2019 SEA Games, as he switched his international football allegiance to his country of birth.

In an interview with Thai television channel True4U then, he said: “This is the best choice for me. Thai football has a bright future and a chance to succeed. My parents also support my decision to the fullest.

“At first, my dad wanted me to play for Singapore but, for some reason, it did not happen. My mother is also very pleased that I have been given this opportunity.”

At the international age-group level, he eventually played for Thailand in the 2020 Asian Football Confederation U-23 Championship, 2022 U-23 Asian Cup, and the SEA Games in 2022 when he scored in their 5-0 win over Singapore.

He received his first senior call-up for the King’s Cup as a replacement for Chanathip Songkrasin in September 2023, then collected his first senior cap in an 8-0 drubbing by Georgia a month later.

At club level, the attacking midfielder made five more appearances in the EFL trophy and recorded an assist for Fulham before he moved to Oxford United in 2021. Without a league appearance in England, he was loaned to Port FC in 2022 and stayed on in the Thai League 1 with Chonburi in 2023.

He was then released to join Uthai Thani in 2024 and has had a breakthrough season with two goals and two assists in 14 games in the ongoing season. His team are 10th in the 16-team league.

Davis, now 24, has also been busy off the pitch, endorsing products for cosmetic brand Garnier and using his 97,000-follower reach on Instagram to auction his U-23 Asian Cup jersey to raise 13,000 Thai baht (S$507) for flood victims in Chiang Rai in September.