Warming up to draft’s end
Once a fierce opponent of ideas to abolish military conscription, Prime Minister Prayut Chano-cha recently signalled a possible change of heart — or at least, a more open heart. On Friday, during a meeting of the Defence Council with military commanders, Gen Prayut, in his capacity as defence minister, instructed armed forces and defence units to study a proposed bill on the revocation of conscriptions, according to Defence Ministry spokesman, Lt Gen Kongcheep Tantravanich.
It is understood Gen Prayut was referring to the Future Forward Party (FFP)’s bill, which it plans to propose to parliament later. According to the FFP deputy leader, Lt Gen Phongsakon Rotchompoo, the bill proposes shifting the military away from conscription to voluntary professional recruitment, which will allow soldiers to serve until the age of 46. The current law on military conscription only requires draftees to serve up to two years.
The FFP’s bill, however, is not totally opposed to conscriptions for reserve forces. It proposed that all men aged 18 to 29 be enlisted as reserve forces, which a cabinet can call upon through conscription if the country is threatened by an imminent war.
The premier instructed the military to study the feasibility and suitability of the bill and explore how the proposed changes will affect national security, the armed forces’ missions, military personnel, the overall budgeting structure and other relevant laws.
In a way, he still displays a certain level of caution. However, it is promising that Gen Prayut is becoming more receptive to a long-disputed issue over the virtues of conscription, which took centre stage in the last general election campaign.
All this time, the armed forces have defended conscription, insisting it is necessary for national security. However, there are mixed opinions among Thais as well. Those who support the draft are concerned about national security while those who oppose it cite the need for competent military personnel and more efficient use of defence budgets.
No one can deny that Thailand needs soldiers; even opponents of conscription agree. But soldiers must be well-trained and competent. Conscription merely forces untrained young men to serve in the army for the short term.
The draft also reflects Thailand’s deeply-rooted inequality. Most draftees come from poor and lowincome backgrounds. The rich and the middle class can legally avoid conscription by undergoing military training while they are in high school. Many of those who did not attend the training have used their family’s connections, or even bribery to avoid it.
Military conscription has been a hotbed of alleged human rights violations, physical abuses, even torture against draftees, a number of whom have died during disciplinary or punitive sessions. There have also been reported cases of draftees being cheated on their salaries and treated as servants by senior officers.
It is about time for the military, parliamentarians and society to debate in an objective manner the pros and cons of revoking military conscription, and consider the alternatives. We need to do away with reciting the same old excuse about “national security risks” that do not fit well with the current times. The country isn’t facing imminent security risks or currently at war with its neighbours.
This issue must not be treated as solely the military’s affair. Conscription affects all Thai citizens, and ending the draft can lead to the creation of a reformed, more competent and professional armed forces.