Thai Military Service for my Dual National son.(Not living in Thailand)

[joedee]

3 hours ago, pete43 said:

There are only four ways to avoid conscription. Medically unfit, Education at university or college, attending a draw and not getting picked, or an illegal bribe to an official. 

 

Sounds like you only have two options:-go through the draw process and hope for the best (up to 50% chance of being picked), or the bribe.

 

A friend of mine's father stumped up for the bribe and he left Thailand to live in the UK, joining the RAF.

My son is only 17 years old. He has to wait until 20 years old for conscription. 

But the point is that The British Army want a letter not just saying to defer conscription but a letter stating that he will not be called up in the event of a war...   

Maybe some level of my misunderstanding in there somewhere. But I will keep pursuing this until conclusion or brick wall.

[sandyf]

20 hours ago, joedee said:

This makes sense,, but other than an "auto reply" stating we will be in touch in 3 to 5 working days, I have not received any response from Thai Embassy London.

I sent a follow up mail 10 days later. Just another  "auto reply" so far

When I said a letter I meant by registered snail mail, there would be a much higher chance of a response. I would also suggest you include a copy of letter from the British Army.

I would think that the most likely outcome is a deferral, like a student, with the possibility of an exemption once some time has been served in the British Army.

[crazykopite]

The easiest option would be to rescind his Thai citizenship especially as he has no plans to even live there  ! As an ex vet of HM Forces in my humble opinion there are better alternatives such as joining the police force or fire service unfortunately HM Forces have been depleted and once you have left service there is very little help and I can confirm this by personnel experience you state your son is only 16 years of age so he has years in front of him to choose a career in my opinion technology is the way to go !

[joedee]

2 hours ago, crazykopite said:

The easiest option would be to rescind his Thai citizenship especially as he has no plans to even live there  ! As an ex vet of HM Forces in my humble opinion there are better alternatives such as joining the police force or fire service unfortunately HM Forces have been depleted and once you have left service there is very little help and I can confirm this by personnel experience you state your son is only 16 years of age so he has years in front of him to choose a career in my opinion technology is the way to go !

To rescind Thai nationality is a 15 to 18 month process. It is the last option for him if it becomes really necessary.

He wants to enroll in the Army as soon as possible of his own choice...

 

 

 

[jaideedave]

On 3/15/2025 at 8:22 AM, JBChiangRai said:

I don’t have any experience with this, but I remember reading some time ago that you can pay ฿30,000 to skip the selection process, it might be worth doing that.

Correct! My neighbors son's family did exactly that. His number came up for the Army and he was strutting around the moo ban for a couple days in Army fatigues then "presto" back into civvies.

He's done quite well for himself. He now struts around the village in an orange vest with his own number. 555  

[joedee]

Firstly, Thank you all for taking the time to give your suggestions and ideas.

They have been helpful in planning what to do next.

 

I have translated a letter to Thai language and am sending it to the Email id given 

in a link provided in responses here.

Hopefully I will get some helpful reply from them..

 

In addition, finally I got a reply from Thai Embassy London today..

 

Dear Sir,

Under the Military Service Act of 1954, all Thai men are required to serve in the military.
All Thai men must understand the duties of registering for military service, receiving a call-up notice, selecting people for military service, calling up, mobilizing, and discharging Thai men,
which you can learn more about on the Ministry of Defense website.

Or your mother will need to contact the officer at local registrar where you have your name in the address in Thailand. 

 

So, its pretty much as expected and advised by you guys here..

 

Thank you for your help.

Lets see where this leads.

 

Joe 

[jts-khorat]

On 3/17/2025 at 3:19 AM, PETERTHEEATER said:

My son. now 48, also is dual Thai/British. He does not read or speak Thai, has never lived in Thailand since he was 13 months old. Married with family lives and works in the UK. His Thai current PP has expired and, I think, his Thai ID card. and he has no plans to renew them. He is not registered in any Thai Tabien Bahn (House registration book)

With no reliable way to track his location he has never been called for Thai National Service and is now too old anyway.

With your son being registered on a Tabien Bahn his details must be on a database with that house shown as his residence and I should expect any summons to be delivered there.

 

My son has a similar history. He is currently in university in Malaysia, studying, so he could have been exempted easily, only his mother did not register it porperly.

 

Whenever he enters next into Thailand, he will be captured, I am not sure what the penalty would be. The statute of limitations is 10 years, so he will not be able to enter Thaland until then.

 

This, of course, helps the OP exactly nothing, as he needs a timely resolution of the issue.

 

Contacting the Thai National Service office in Thailand directly would be my first step to resolve this. They will need to provide the letter, so they will need to privode the details of what they need to write it.

 

Edit:
Of course, I should have read until the last post 😑
Good luck to the OP!