Boyfriend/Army Lottery

[pauleddy]

The BF is due to do Army service from May. I already know that a lottery is involved, and I know that some sort of tea money can be paid to avoid...

(The call-up is, I believe, based in home areas. In his town, they want 150 guys and have a possible 700 of the right age)

A few questions:

1. he seems to think that he can take a middle way and 'volunteer' for 6 months. In this way, he must join up at a desk job, but he will not be part of the lottery where a RED ball means 1 or 2 years. Anybody heard of this?

2. I don't want him to go anyway, and I will pay the "fee". A pal who had a BF in the same boat said that the "fee" is 30,000b. Is this true? Somebody else told me 20k.

3. Is the "fee" actually tea money, or is it rather more official ?

4. Is the "fee" paid before the lottery, meaning my BF doesn't even show up? OR, is it paid only after the unfortunate red ball is drawn, with no fee due if the nice black ball is drawn?

If anyone can give me any help, it is important that we sort this out. My BF is not an "army type", plus he will lose his job, and so on...

Thx

P Eddy

[saengsureeya]

Since there is no reply, I'll give it a shot.

Not from my own or close experiences, but more from hear-say.

If someone wants a military buy out, it seems to be normal to arrange that with the poo-yai-baan (kind of mayor in the bf's village). He's the last filter before the bf has to pull the draw. Amounts from THB 10,000 up to THB 60,000 is what I've heard. If they know that a farang is involved, the amount is certainly higher.

There are alternatives: go to university, work as social servant, becoming a monk or there may be other options.

If there are 700 guys who are eligible to join the army and they only need 150, the chance is pretty high that your bf will "drop out'. There are always volunteers, because joining the army is an honorable thing to do.

Don't be afraid of your bf loosing his job. There are plenty of jobs available.

[tombkk]

One more thing: If your bf chooses to study the subject "ร.ด." (raw-daw) at high school, he will be a "student soldier" (those with the name in yellow instead of black on the name tag on the uniform) and will be exempted from military service later on. There is a minimum time he needs to study this subject, but ask him about it, he will know. If he's due to join the army in May, this might now be too late for him, but might be useful for others to know.

[Paagai]

A few notes from past experience:

1. The lottery is about six months ahead of call up, usually in April for service start in November for two years.

2. Going rate is/was around 35K. Simplest seems to be an exemption on medical grounds so the person doesn't participate in the lottery, period. Your BF should know how to arrange

3. If you play the statistics game and chance on not getting called up in the lottery it is MUCH more expensive to get out afterwards, though it can be done.

4. Be careful who you trust money to. I know of at least one Farang who paid his boy's friends to "arrange" for a positive lottery outcome. Who knows where the money went (a lot more than the 35k aforementioned...) but the boy did two years dodging bombs in Southern Thailand.

5. Most of the Thai gay boys I know who got conscripted it really enjoyed it what more can I say.

[pauleddy]

Thanks guys

No, he didn't do the school cadet option. I have heard of this, but I think it's too late.

Re. the medical, I believe that even katoeys have less chance of avoidance these days. The BF is fairly "normal" looking.

He still thinks that he can do a definite 6 months and thereby avoid the risk of 2 years. "Volunteering" (?)

P Eddy

[LeCharivari]

The best information is that he needs to check with his "poo-yai-baan" NOW as the options and fees vary from area to area; in some he can buy his way out, in others its impossible.

The "cadet" option is out - amongst other things it needs to be for three years (and if that's useful information for your boyfriend, he's probably under age!). They're actually called Army Reserve Force Students or นักศึกษาวิชาทหาร.

The "6 month volunteering" option only applies to those volunteering from university; if he's not at university he'll find he's volunteered for 18 months and its very difficult to get out of as his pay scale and terms of service are different to conscripts - unless he's at university, he could be making a major mistake .

Going to university or becoming a monk doesn't exempt him from conscription unless he stays at it until he's over 30 (or goes on to be PM).

The "fee" is strictly tea money - nothing official. The way it normally works is that once you pay your "fee" (in advance) the recruiter will pick a black ball/black card for him. The exemption on medical grounds is not a good option as this is permanently on his record, which he will need to show when applying for any job to prove that he went for the draw.

If he takes the gamble of not getting called up there are options, but they are usually much more expensive. The normal option is that he does 12 weeks basic training then signs over his pay, which is collected "for him", and he just has to turn up once a year and to be discharged. The problem with this is that he is officially still in the Army so he could well still lose his job if its a "proper" one (taxed, etc) as his name will be appearing on tax lists twice.

Basically, he needs to go home and check his other options now, while he still can.

[Ijustwannateach]

I don't have any direct experience in this area, but the above all seem to be good advice and relevant points.

And perhaps remember, that although no one wants to be separated from their loved one for months at a time, for some people the routine and the discipline can be positive experiences.

The 'school cadet' option, if a person has gone through Matthayom, is probably the least life-interrupting way to have dealt with the issue definitively, but as others have said it is a moot point by the time the draw comes up.

[simoncnx]

my bf went on a diet for 3 months and got his chest measurement under 76cm. he was exempted and now eats like a horse

[Ijustwannateach]

A former student of mine who didn't manage to finish his service plan (because of an exchange program) just reported that he got the 'good' result: i.e., he doesn't have to be in the army. However, another former student in the same boat was just inducted and went through boot camp, and reports with some trepidation that he may be stationed in the South before long.

So your friend's approach seems a little extreme, but all's well that end's well!

[LeCharivari]

A former student of mine who didn't manage to finish his service plan (because of an exchange program) just reported that he got the 'good' result: i.e., he doesn't have to be in the army. However, another former student in the same boat was just inducted and went through boot camp, and reports with some trepidation that he may be stationed in the South before long.

So your friend's approach seems a little extreme, but all's well that end's well!

The second student should still be exempt some service even if he had completed only part of his Reserve training. The training is in five steps or grades and even if he only completed the first his conscript service would be halved; complete the second grade and he would only have to serve a quarter, and complete the third grade and he would be fully exempt.

[Ijustwannateach]

^That may well be true; I didn't ask him about the term of service.