A Singaporean man, Jedidiah Ian Tan (23 years old) applied to Canada for refugee protection citing alleged potential persecution in Singapore from national service authorities. Tan who was already exempted from national service on medical grounds claimed the exemption was revocable and he would have no redress in Singapore.
Canadian judge Cecily Y. Strickland rejected his bid for refugee protection citing his persecution claims to be unfounded and his evidence to be inadequate.
The Judge noted that Singapore authorities had acted reasonable and expeditiously and took the safety of conscripts seriously. She cited documentary evidence showing that Singapore "had effective mechanisms in place to address abuse and corruption in the police and armed forces."
Jedidiah Ian Tan claimed that his 2 months of NS training made him suffer psychological and physical damage. He was finally exempted from service on 23 May 2014 on psychological grounds.
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