Published: Wednesday June 17, 2009 MYT 2:32:00 PM

6,804 NS dodgers to escape prison sentence and fine

GEORGE TOWN: About 6,800 National Service (NS) dodgers can consider themselves lucky as they will escape the jail sentence and fine for failing to register for the training programme.

National service training department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said the reason being that a proposal to amend the National Service Training Bill (Amendment) 2008, to allow NS dodgers to be punished by making them do community service, had been approved by Parliament on Tuesday.

“With that dodgers will escape the prison sentence and fine, but they will have to do community service for not more than 240 hours.

“However, the punishment will be enforced after the Dewan Negara approves it,” he told reporters after witnessing the transportation of the first batch of trainees for the Group 3 Series 6/2009 training session at the Penang International Sports Arena here Wednesday.

Prior to this, anyone who failed to attend the compulsory training could only be fined for an amount not exceeding RM3,000 or jailed not more than six months, or both.

Abdul Hadi said a total of 6,804 youths failed to turn up for the NS training programme since 2003, adding that the department viewed seriously the matter although the number was small compared with the more than 417,000 people who went for the training so far.

He advised those who were called up for NS training but wished to defer or be exempted from it to apply for exemption from the department, adding that 62,225 trainees were given the exemption since 2003. -- Bernama