When he returned to Singapore on July 2 last year, he gave
himself up to Immigration & Checkpoints Authority officers and
was later transferred to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Military
Police Command.
On Oct 8 last year, he pleaded guilty to one count of being
absent without official leave (AWOL) and was sentenced to three
weeks’ detention.
But, the chief military prosecutor appealed against this
sentence in the military court of appeal on May 29 and urged a
stiffer sentence.
Justice Choo Han Teck and four other members of the panel
extended Wang’s detention period to 18 months.
In the submissions, military prosecutor Hee Mee Lin told the
court that Wang, now 29, was serving with the 41st Battalion of the
Singapore Armoured Regiment at Kranji Camp 2.
On Oct 12, 2008, he was due to book back into camp for duties at
around 11.59pm, but he failed to do so.
When his superiors noticed his absence, the unit made multiple
attempts to contact him on his mobile phone, but the calls went
unanswered.
The prosecution added that Wang contacted Mindef via its
feedback unit years later to say he wanted to contact his
commanding officer as he wanted to surrender himself. Ms Hee said
Wang had gone AWOL for five years, eight months and 20 days and
pressed for at least 18 months’ detention.
Calling the three-weeks detention "manifestly inadequate", she
said it could send a message that full-time National Servicemen
(NSFs) would “suffer little consequences” when they go AWOL.
An earlier case was also cited where an NSF from the Singapore
Civil Defence Force went AWOL for three years, two months and nine
days and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.
In that case, the High Court also affirmed the sentence and
emphasised the need for deterrence, saying: "National Service is
about one’s duty to the country, and about placing the nation’s
interests above one’s own.
"It would be unfair to all national servicemen who diligently
perform their national service at a personal sacrifice to
themselves and their families if the appellant’s contention was
accepted as a valid mitigating factor."
The prosecution added that "the public interest involved in
National Service required that servicemen be prepared to
subordinate their personal interests to the interests of the
state".
Wang’s lawyer, Mr Anand Nalachandran, urged the court to dismiss
the appeal, saying that his client has "repaid the... pound of
flesh".
Wang came to Singapore from China in 1996 and started at Primary
2 when he was 10. After that, he went to The Chinese High School
where he displayed "outstanding academic ability and demonstrated
sportsmanship, integrity... and good sense".
At Hwa Chong Institution, Wang was an outstanding student who
excelled in the Biology Olympiad and wushu.
He became a citizen in 2005 when he was 19 and later entered
NS.
Mr Anand said references from people such as his former seniors
in his unit "all attest to his attitude, character, dedication,
diligence and professionalism".
Before he left for England, he had applied to Mindef for a
disruption of the remaining one month of service, but this request
was denied. Wang then made appeals within the SAF and through his
MP, but these were rejected.
NO GUARANTEE
Mr Anand added: "(Wang) asked the university for permission to
matriculate later. However, the university advised him to reapply
for entry the following year with no guarantee of admission.
"(Wang) was driven by the lifelong ambition to become a doctor
and was desperate to retain the rare and coveted opportunity to
study medicine at Cambridge."
The lawyer said that his client then made "a desperate decision
that few would endorse but many would understand" and left
Singapore.
Wang later obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from St Edmund’s
College, University of Cambridge.
He also obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
degree from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry,
Queen Mary, University of London before returning to Singapore.
After completing his earlier sentence in October last year, Wang
has volunteered at agencies such as the Alzheimer’s Disease
Association and the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association, said Mr
Anand.
The lawyer also said that Wang was an outstanding soldier "that
his superiors and colleagues vouch for even in the present
circumstances".
Justice Choo said the panel agreed that Wang has an exemplary
record. But they also took into consideration the period of AWOL
and the period of service left before sentencing him.
Responding to queries from The New Paper, Mindef said that AWOL
is a serious offence: "We will continue to take stern disciplinary
action against servicemen who commit AWOL offences."
Those convicted of AWOL can be imprisoned for up to two
years.