Vets department unhappy with report on homeless ex-soldier

The body in charge of veterans in the defence ministry has expressed unhappiness over a report by MalaysiaNow on the plight of a homeless ex-soldier, saying the man does not qualify to be called a veteran.

In a statement in response to the story that had evoked a flood of response from the public, the Veteran Affairs Department (JHEV) also confirmed that Ruslan, 46, had served as a member of the Territorial Army Regiment after health issues forced him to stop his armed forces recruitment training.

“He did not continue training due to health problems. Upon completion of his basic recruitment training, he worked in the manufacturing sector. However, due to his health problems, he was retrenched and given a disability pension by Socso,” the department said in a statement.

It added that Ruslan’s interest in joining the armed forces led him to join the Territorial Army where he served in Ipoh, Perak and Shah Alam, Selangor.

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The statement went on to cite the Veterans Act 2012, adding that Ruslan did not qualify as an army veteran.

“JHEV is of the opinion that the news report is inaccurate. It gives a negative impression of the defence ministry in general and JHEV in particular,” it added.

For the record, nowhere did MalaysiaNow’s article on Ruslan refer to him as an army veteran.

The story published on May 4 had detailed Ruslan’s homelessness after leaving the army’s military reserve force following a diagnosis of third stage pneumonia.

It had sparked a flood of queries and offers of help from the public as well as the authorities.

Ruslan eventually found a new home with a family in Klang, Selangor, where he helps take care of his foster parents – an elderly couple who welcomed him as a son.

He had told MalaysiaNow that he felt as though he had started life afresh after years of scrounging for food and sleeping on the pavement.