Below is an article from the straits times ... there's a promise
of a fuller report in saturday's papers ....
Indonesia has asked Singapore to exempt Indonesian citizens
who are permanent residents from performing National
Service.
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said that such an exemption
was necessary as Indonesian citizens doing military service in
another country risk losing their citizenship.
'For our citizens, whatever the reason, undertaking foreign
military training would mean losing their citizenship under the
citizenship law,' Mr Hassan was quoted as saying by the Republika
daily on Friday.
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He said that the issue of national service for Indonesian
citizens with permanent resident status had been around since the
Singapore government started requiring foreign citizens with such
status to be enlisted.
'In our communication with the Singapore government, we have
requested that Indonesian citizens, including those with permanent
resident status, to be exempted from doing national service,' he
said.
He did not disclose when the Indonesian government had made
the request.
He also said the government could only remind Indonesians
that under the law, their citizenship could be revoked if they
agreed to be enlisted.
So Should they be excempted ? ... to me, the answer is
definitely NO ! ... the cheek ! .. to ask that they be excempted ?
.... okie, their big brother act aside .... well ... by the time
these chaps are old enough to be enlisted, they should be wise
enough to choose where they want to remain, no ? .... why should
anyone, from anywhere, be given the benefit of having Singapore as
their persona bolt hole, reaping all the benefits, and paying none
of the price ? .... To me, it's either serve, or fark off ...
NS Chaps I've met here who are indo PRs, please feel free to
weigh in on this ...