Some10,000 Malaysian youths could be slapped with a six-month jail term or a fine up to RM3,000 for refusing to answer their call-up to participate in the pioneer National Service training programme last month.

The National Service Council, which met this morning, decided that court action would be taken against them by the council's legal affairs division.

The penalties are stipulated under the National Service Training Act which was passed in the Dewan Rakyat last June.

"They will be brought to court and it's up to the court's to pass sentence," the council's chairperson Prof Dr Ahmad Fawzi Mohd Basri (far left) told a press conference. He said the exact date for filing the charges would be made known later.

He explained that the 10,000 absentees fell into two categories, namely those who could be contacted but still did not turn up, and those the council failed to contact although their names were published in major newspapers.

Late last year, a total of 85,000 trainees were randomly selected from 480,000 Malaysian youths aged 18 to take part in the new national service training programme. The pioneer batch were divided into three groups and are currently enrolled into 41 camps nationwide. They began the three-month stint in February.

The idea of national service training was mooted by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad last October to 'foster patriotism, encourage racial integration and develop positive and noble traits among the younger generation.'

Post-mortem

However, the current programme has been criticised by various quarters for its non-transparent and hasty decision-making process. They pointed out that the training will not address the real issues behind racial polarisation.

In the past two weeks, the national service programme has come under intense scrutiny following reports of fights among trainees in several camps, indiscipline, substance abuse and sexual harassment. The incidents have prompted many to call upon the government to suspend the programme.

Commenting on the incidents, Ahmad said a post-mortem would be conducted by the council in June after the pioneer batch of trainees finished their training.

He said a decision to continue with or cancel the controversy-ridden national service programme next year would depend on the results of the review under the post-mortem.

"In Switzerland, the people will feel ashamed if they are not selected for national service but in our country, even when law is used they don't want to come," he commented.

The council also announced today that delinquent national service trainees will be placed in a special camp for rehabilitation.

'Haunted' camp

On another matter, the chairperson said the council had no plans to shift a national service training camp in Negeri Sembilan which a group of trainees were hospitalised following a hysteria attack.

The trainees had claimed that the camp was haunted and a faith healer was reportedly called in from Kuala Lumpur later to exorcise the area.

"Yes, the ones 'with heads but without feet' really exist (in the camp) but we have called in the consultant for assistance, and if there is a need, we can call the consultant again," said Ahmad while smiling broadly.

Ahmad also stressed that no khalwat (close proximity) or other wanton behaviour cases had been reported at any of the 41 nationwide national service training camps so far.

"If we see a boy and girl sit too close together we will ask them to disperse, no khalwat cases. All of them are fully-dressed, nobody is undressed or half-dressed," he said.