Youths who are still reluctant to report for national service duty despite their names being published in major newspapers will face legal action, warned Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today.

He said action would have to be taken against them to ensure the success of the programme. He was commenting on news reports that the national service call centre received only 97 calls from the total of 8,559 who had failed to report for national service training.

"Somewhere along the line we have got to take action. Otherwise it will not be fair to others who have willingly participated in the national service programme.

"If we let them off without any action being taken against them, then there will be no response at all to our national training programme and the government's desire for overall participation will not be realised," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Problem-plagued

National Service Training Programme Department Director-General Kamaruzaman Mohd Nor was earlier reported as saying that the errant youths could be fined not exceeding RM3,000 or jailed for six months or both upon conviction.

The national service programme has been beset with problems from the outset, prompting many quarters to call for its suspension.

Reports of fights, theft and even sexual assault has tainted the three-month mandatory programme for some 85,000 youths.

Two trainees have also lost their lives in separate drowning incidents but the government remains adamant in continuing the programme due to its long-term benefits.

Previously, Najib said the government was considering segregating trainees according to their backgrounds as part of the attempts to plug the shortcomings.

He said the factors to be considered included how long the trainees had left school and whether they were already working or married.

"The ministry will consider whether to separate them based on all these factors and their compatibility," he had said.