EREMBAN: Some 21,000 youths, who had asked for deferment from national service have not notified the department of their whereabouts.
But they will have to report for training sooner or later, NS Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kecil said.
“We don’t even know if they have completed their studies. We will be sending out letters asking them about this because once you have been selected, you must attend training,” he told reporters during a visit to the Seri Perkasa camp in Mantin near here.
He said there were some 5,000 others who had not reported for training since the programme was initiated four years ago.
National Service Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kecil helping trainee J. Nathan to strap up before a “rescue demonstration” for parents at the Seri Perkasa camp in Mantin yesterday as the other trainees look on. – LOW BOON TAT/ The Star“We have given their names to the police and if they cannot give us a good reason for not attending training, we will act against them,” he said.
To date, three youths have been charged in court for failing to attend training.
The National Service Act states that an individual can be called back for training until he reaches the age of 35.
Abdul Hadi also said that the department has allowed 992 youths selected for the third batch of training this month to defer it due to medical reasons.
“The selected youths were sent for medical check-ups before the training.
“Doctors found that 279 suffered from asthma and we did not want them to enrol for the programme yet. We want to make sure all trainees are medically fit,” he said.
The others were allowed to defer training because they suffered from other ailments such as severe migraine, gastritis and blood pressure.
On another matter, Abdul Hadi said all 85 NS camps in the country would have open days once a fortnight to allow parents to visit their children.
Article source:
