KOTA KINABALU: The National Service (NS) Training Department (JLKN) has temporarily closed two NS training camps, one in Pahang and the other in Terengganu, after they failed to comply with required conditions.
Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said both the camps would not be allowed to receive trainees until they met the conditions.
“The Muazzam Shah camp (in Pahang) were told to improve all aspects including preparedness to avoid a repeat the incident of death of a trainee at the previous session. The Marang Camp (in Terengganu) has been ordered to amend all shortcomings,” he told reporters after seeing off 50 NS trainees from Sabah heading to the Semenyih Camp, Negeri Sembilan, at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) here, yesterday.
On JLKN’s move to curb quarrels among trainees, Abdul Rahim said JLKN had introduced Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on this at all 81 training camps nationwide to prevent such occurences.
In this regard, he said other than stationing a policeman at each camp, all camp commandants had been directed to be firm in implementing the SOPs, failing which, action would be taken against them.
Group 1 from three groups for the 11th series of trainee recruitment this year involved 43,000 people.
The government has allocated between RM550 million and RM650 million a year for the programme which, among others, is aimed at boosting national integration and instilling patriotism.
A total 750,000 school leavers have completed the NS training since 2004.
In Putrajaya, National Service Training Council chairman Datuk Ehsanuddin Mohd Harun Narrashid also reminded the operators of the 81 camps to be mindful of safety and security of NS trainees and warned that action would be taken if they failed to heed this.
He told this to reporters after witnessing the sending of NS trainees for the 11/2014 series in Precinct three here. — Bernama