Former Singapore PR fined S$9,000 for defaulting on national service
What's new: His permanent residency was revoked in 2022, ending his enlistment liability before he returned and was arrested in 2025.
A former Singapore permanent resident was fined S$9,000 on Thursday after admitting he stayed outside the country without a valid exit permit and failed to register for national service. You Jiahao, a 23-year-old Chinese national, left Singapore in August 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A registration notice sent in April 2021 directed him to complete his NS registration by May 31 that year, but he did not do so. After he contacted the Central Manpower Base in July 2022 seeking to defer service until after his studies in China, authorities told him he had committed offences under the Enlistment Act. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority revoked his PR status on Aug. 1, 2022. He returned only on March 27, 2025, when he was arrested at Changi Airport.