/ 25 April 2006

Your country needs you not to snore, says army

Loud snoring will join obesity, prominent tattoos and drug taking on an extended list of unacceptable physical traits for recruits to the People’s Liberation Army.

No details were given on the permissible volume of snores but under the new rules, the 2,3-million personnel in the world’s biggest standing army will have to give urine samples to test for narcotic abuse.

Exposed tattoos will be measured to ensure they are below the permissible diameter of two centimetres, and body weight will be checked to ensure that recruits are neither too fat nor too thin. – Guardian Unlimited Â