# compulsory military service for PR?



## emilyw

Hi, I have a young boy and am thinking of relocating to singapore. if things work out and I like the place, that is if..., and I apply to become a permanent resident, does that mean compulsory military service? 

also, can expats children attend the public schools?

thanks.


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## Miss Swan

"Under the Enlistment Act, all male Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents (PRs) are liable to register for National Service (NS) upon reaching 16 1/2 years old. They are required to serve 2 years of full-time NS at 18 years old, followed by 40 days of Operationally Ready National Service per year till the age of 50 years (for officers) or 40 years (for other ranks)." 
- Guess this should answer your question 

Yes I've seen expat children attend public schools, albeit a very very small proportion.


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## simonsays

From what I know and seen, if you become PR, as a professional, obviously you are above the registration age, and will be exempt. However, if your kids get PR, before 16, they must attend NS.

If your kids dont apply for PR, and you wait until they cross 21, and then apply for PR, they can still be called for NS, maybe in a less rigourous area, like Civil Defence or Police.

And keeping your kids on Dependant pass while you are PR/Citizen can raise a few eyebrows in the ICA, and when you go for renewal, they will pointedly ask in terms like "so you are here to earn and don't plan to contribute ??" and have seen PR renewals rejected for some people who kept the family on dependant status .. times may have changed .. Singapore needs people to settle and contribute, not earn and slash and dash


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## MingTheMerciless

emilyw said:


> Hi, I have a young boy and am thinking of relocating to singapore. if things work out and I like the place, that is if..., and I apply to become a permanent resident, does that mean compulsory military service?
> 
> also, can expats children attend the public schools?
> 
> thanks.


I was originally from Hong Kong, My dad move there for a job offer when I was 7 years old, but after that he moved to australia when I was 15 years old, by the time I am 18, I was called back to singapore to be conscripted, which is a ****ing two years waste of my life doing retarded ****. So if you do not serve the 2 years conscription, you have to pay a total of 200k. Even after you have finish 2 years Conscription, you still have to do part time reservist for the next 10 years of your life, doing retarded ****.

right now, I am back to australia again for university and did not plan to go back to singapore again, reason ? high cost of living, controlling hypocritical government, stressful and stupid and meaningless conscription. That why, a lot of male singaporean, I knew dying to leave that ****holes and never to come back again.


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## simonsays

MingTheMerciless said:


> I was originally from Hong Kong, My dad move there for a job offer when I was 7 years old, but after that he moved to australia when I was 15 years old, by the time I am 18, I was called back to singapore to be conscripted, which is a ****ing two years waste of my life doing retarded ****. So if you do not serve the 2 years conscription, you have to pay a total of 200k. Even after you have finish 2 years Conscription, you still have to do part time reservist for the next 10 years of your life, doing retarded ****.
> 
> right now, I am back to australia again for university and did not plan to go back to singapore again, reason ? high cost of living, controlling hypocritical government, stressful and stupid and meaningless conscription. That why, a lot of male singaporean, I knew dying to leave that ****holes and never to come back again.


Ming, I sympathise with you .. Well, probably, the two years of time you wasted could have been used more productively .. like .. I dunno .. I am trying to figure it out .. 

Well, your father knew that you will have to do NS, when you reach 18, when he took up PR here, and yyou also have an option to rejecting the NS, and opting out of NS/PR for lifetime, and give up your future plans of settling down in Singapore, EVER.

Why didn't you explore that option ? Well, I could surmise that your father deemed it fit that you do NS here, so you could opt for Citizenship or retain your PR here, considering the safety and stability in Singapore, and he would have thought NS is a small price to pay. And probably he felt having one foot in Sweet Singapore will be worth the price to pay. 

I know more than enough children on PRs, who opted to leave Singapore, to pursue higher studies in US/UK, and guess what ? 5 out of 10 who are in US ended up in the Army/Navy, considering that Green Card is more or less assured, plus a degree is on the house, and .. well, they did forget to mention that enlisting in US is a sure way to face real bullets and be in active combat, either in Iraq/Stan or in the high tension duty at sea. Would you rather be playing with 'blue' bullets and 'blue' ammo or you want to face real life bombs and mines and snipers ??

And I did forget to mention that some of those who ended up in the Forces in US did manage to wrack up a criminal record or minor misdemeanor, and a stint in active duty wiped their slate clean. . 

If you think you could not have opted out of NS, do a read up on the Mindef site - there are options, and the consequences (no further chance of PR / Citizenship here. . )

Well, not all those who go into NS waste time. Only those whiners do so .. there are enough who get sponsored by Mindef to complete Degrees/Medicine etc. fully paid by the government, and if you ask me, with no war in sight, serving in Mindef/Army must be the most safest job in Singapore, if you leave out the very very rare training mishaps. You would have a higher chance of getting killed in a traffic accident outside, that getting injured in a NS training.

And as for the Singaporean who complain ?  No comments. When they grow up, they will learn to love their country. Having lived here for 12 years, I have seen young grunts scream murder when they have left 

If you felt NS is a disaster, well, you should take it up with your father. Don't curse the system. It was your father's option to read and sign on the dotted lines. And to top it off, you did have an option to give up any claim for future PR/Citizenship here. 

PS: Above is my own personal opinion ...


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