KUALA LUMPUR: Parents of over 15,000 National Service (NS) trainees gave their children an emotional send-off as they left for their respective camps miles away from home.

While parents whose children studied in boarding schools found it easier to part with their children, for others, three months was just too long a separation.

“It feels very sad to be away from my son for three months. My son is quite manja (pampered). I hope he can learn a lot from this programme and be more independent,” wept Junainah Ali.

For Syafiqah Hilwani, leaving for NS was both a sad and happy occasion.

She studied in a boarding school in Rembau, so the feeling of being apart from her family is familiar.

Good luck, son: Loshanesh kissing his mother Janet while his father Arunasalam and sister A. Kireth, 23, look on.

“Of course I will miss my family. But I am also very excited and look forward to the programme,” said Syafiqah, who will be based in Chenderiang, Perak.

A total of 15,461 trainees out of 42,000 trainees under the first batch for 2013 left for their camps yesterday, with the remaining number leaving only today and tomorrow.

There will be 140,000 trainees involved in the NS this year.

In Butterworth, K. Arunasalam, 56, and Janet Usha, 55, sent off their only son and youngest child, A. Loshanesh, 17.

“The NS camp should be a good experience for him. It is as good as going to college as he will learn many fresh skills,” he said.

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