{
  "id": 12890894,
  "title": "National Service to begin in Sarawak in July 2028",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/national-service-to-begin-in-sarawak-in-july-2028-12890894",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-08T15:07:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/08/national-service-to-begin-in-sarawak-in-july-2028"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The National Service Training Programme (PLKN) 3.0 will commence in Sarawak starting July 2028. Defence minister Khaled Nordin informed this in a written parliamentary reply to Ahmad Johnie Zawawi, stating that 90% of the 300 available spots for the initial intake will be allocated to youths from Sarawak and Sabah. Khaled emphasized that preparations are already underway, including obtaining necessary land approvals. The minister disclosed that 60% of the quota will be given to participants from Sarawak, followed by 30% from Sabah and 10% from Kuala Lumpur, to boost participation from East Malaysia and bolster national unity. Though the first Sarawak series will not commence until 2028, Khaled revealed that youths from Sarawak have been involved in the programme since Series 1/2025. Out of the 94 trainees from Sarawak who participated in PLKN 3.0 series in 2025 and 2026, three were in the latter year and four in the current one. The recruitment is conducted via random balloting and voluntary applications, but the ministry acknowledged that these methods alone may not ensure the inclusion of youths from rural and interior regions. To address this, the national service training department, via the National Service Training Council, has decided that Sarawak's representative on the council will identify and propose rural and interior area candidates for consideration, pending the appointment of the Sarawak representative.",
  "summary": "Defence minister Khaled Nordin says 60% of the 300 places will be reserved for Sarawakians and 30% for Sabahans, with the remainder for youths from Kuala Lumpur.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "National Service to begin in Sarawak in July 2028",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/national-service-to-begin-in-sarawak-in-july-2028",
        "published": "2026-10-08T15:07:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}