China blacklists 17 army deserters, curtails their rights

China has punished 17 army deserters, blacklisting them from using the social credit system, limiting their rights to travel abroad and seek employment in the government, according to a media report today.

These men had enlisted themselves in the army but were unable to handle the tough and strict life. They tried to quit multiple times before being expelled from the force, the state-run Global Times reported.

The 17 men, who were enlisted and later quit the army, have been sent home, it said, adding that they have been blacklisted on China's social credit system.

Their rights have been limited to travel abroad, work as government officials.

Blacklisting would also affect their ability to buy real estate and their travel rights, including booking plane tickets, travel in high-class trains and stay in star-rated hotels, the report said.

"Many of these young people are the only child in their family, growing up in gilded cages and unable to bear hardships in the army," Li Daguang, a professor at the National Defense University in Beijing told the Global Times.

"As military discipline becomes stricter, training has become harder," he was quoted as saying in the report.