Mior Rosli Mior Jaafar said those who had been given the boot, or were dishonourably discharged, deserved to be considered for pension and other benefits.

The Veterans Act stipulated that those who were sacked would not be recognised as veterans, he said.

This means that they, and their families, are not eligible for certain benefits, including getting free medical treatment.

“It feels like they have been handed a death sentence,” he said in a televised interview.

Mior revealed that he had been approached by ex-servicemen who contemplated suicide as they could not bear the hardship after being denied the benefits.

He also said there were servicemen who were unjustly sacked from the service, citing former air force pilot Zaidi Ahmad who was sacked for breaching protocol by speaking to the press over the indelible ink used in the 13th general election.

Mior said although Zaidi had made a mistake, the punishment was unfair.

“Are we to forget his 24 years of service as an air force pilot?”

Mior said some 25,000 servicemen had been booted from the military, and those he had met were sacked for sleeping on duty and being absent as well as for drug offences.

While he is not disputing the action taken, Mior said the former servicemen should be given clemency after five years and recognised as veterans.

He said many had to endure hardship as civilians and that was punishment enough.