On 9/15/2018 at 6:55 AM, Thechook said:

Why on earth do they need conscription?  Poor kids taken away from thier families and beaten to death.  The problem is the Military answer to absolutely no one in Thailand.  If the government or judiciary try to move against them, a coup happens and the military arrest those that speak against them.  These kids are just fodder to be used and abused by the elite officer class

Please bear in mind that many of these conscripts are recruited from rural areas where red is a favourite colour. 

On 9/15/2018 at 6:54 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

"...With yet another conscript succumbing to injuries, many are left wondering when these wrongful fatalities will end...?"

 

They won't end until they are stopped. And, it is clear that they won't be stopped by the military itself.

 

If someone applied for a job, was accepted, became a trainee at 7-11, then made mistakes, and the older staff beat him until he died, they would (quite properly) be arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced to jail for a long, long time.

 

However, if a man is conscripted against his will, forced to join the military, makes mistakes, and is beaten to death by the older members of his unit, it does not seem to be a serious crime.

 

What's wrong with this picture?

 

Thailand desperately needs to have true civilian oversight of its military; it is clear beyond a shadow of doubt (deaths, coups, corruption, 'shady' dealings, human trafficking, etc etc etc) That the military is unable and unwilling to properly govern itself.

 

Until there is true civilian control over the military, Thailand will remain a true third-world country with all the negative aspects and connotations that entails.. 

 

PS R.I.P. to the 10 pictured above. And, how many more are there that don't make the papers? Anyone hazard a guess?

 

 

Agreed.  Instead we have the military with true control over the civilian population.   Tail wagging the dog.