Eight young people did not report their absence for the third National Defence Service conscription. The Ministry of Defense has been able to contact four of them, who have health problems. However, four young people have never been contacted.
"We will try to reach these remaining four. If that fails, these four will be handed over to the Military Police," Kristers Grauze, Head of the Conscription Planning Division of the Ministry's State Defense Service Department, told Latvian Television.
Until the Military Police are involved, there are no penalties for non-attendance. The only thing is that you will have to stay longer than others, accumulating a full 11 months.
If the Military Police are involved, however, a fine of between €50 and €5000 may be imposed.
The ministry said that it is not as if those who avoid the service will be physically caught and taken to the service, rather the Military Police will continue to try to start communication. It should also be mentioned that the payment of a fine will not exempt one from service. If these people are found, a new date will be agreed on with them to start their service.
This was the first conscription in which there were not enough volunteers; some were conscripted compulsorily. However, it has not been the case that only compulsory conscripts have not turned up.
"For those who didn't turn up on Friday [July 19], there is not a very strict division between volunteers and compulsory conscripts. A stricter division appears at the first selection stage when they are sent for medical examinations. Then there is a significant difference: the volunteers are much more active and quicker to respond, and they arrive sooner for the medical examinations. In the compulsory phase, the process is slightly more time-consuming," said Grauze.
The next State Defense Service recruitment is scheduled for January 2025.
