Man who failed to enlist for NS and went to the Philippines to get away from family fined $9k

SINGAPORE - Upset with his grandfather for spending most of the inheritance money his mother left him when she died, a man left for the Philippines to start a new life in June 2018.

Timothy James Yeap Kim Hock was 20 years old that year, and was meant to enlist for full-time national service (NS) a month later.

When he eventually returned to Singapore on Dec 30, 2019, Yeap was arrested.

On Friday (April 1), the now 24-year-old was fined $9,000 for failing to report for NS and remaining outside Singapore without a valid exit permit.

The court heard that he enlisted into full-time NS with the Singapore Armed Forces on Oct 22, 2020.

Yeap was sent an enlistment notice in March 2018, which required him to report for his full-time NS on July 27 that year.

Although he was aware of his enlistment date, he left for the Philippines in June 2018.

He travelled within the country, but spent most of his time in the south, in Cagayan De Oro, Mindanao.

Yeap wanted to get away from his grandfather and his family.

"He claimed that he was angry with his grandfather for having spent most of his inheritance, which his mother had left behind for him when she passed away," Deputy Public Prosecutor Chan Yi Cheng told the court.

But the prosecutor added that Yeap also admitted that he intended to evade his NS obligations as he wanted to lead a new life abroad.

He decided on the Philippines as the cost of living is lower. When he left Singapore, he did not have a valid exit permit.

Yeap eventually returned on Dec 30, 2019, as he needed to get police clearance from Singapore and a health check-up for his application for a Philippines citizenship.

His Singapore passport was also near its expiration date, in May 2020, which meant he could not renew his social visit pass in the Philippines.

Yeap was also running low on cash and could not get a job with a social visit pass.

In total, Yeap failed to report for enlistment into full-time NS from July 27, 2018, to December 29, 2019, a period of one year, five months and three days.

DPP Chan argued for a fine of at least $9,000, noting that the High Court ruled that the custodial threshold for failing to enlist for NS would be crossed only when the default period is more than two years.

For failing to enlist for NS, Yeap could have been fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.

The penalty for remaining outside of Singapore without an exit permit is the same.