Military warning to young men seeking to avoid conscription

[mikemac]

ok, lets force the young boys of the rice farmers in the North into the military. Train them to fire M-16s, ambush convoys, how to evade capture, jungle warfare and survival, URBAN warfare... wait

maybe we should rethink this...

I thought that's what the redshirts were for.

[Jonmarleesco]

Long past time for Thailand to abandon conscription.

[billd766]

Hi all just to say after spending 24 yrs in the Armed forces its a profession like any other it suits some and not others, conscription is pointless unless you have a major conflict and your regular force are being push to the limits, why not have a system like the TA or reservists ?

also i believe if it was fair across the board it would be ok not just the poor or farm kids or middle income people and all the generals get paid enough to hire domestic staff. if you have to have conscription use it for project that help the people. ( ensuring people don't get rick or ripped off)

and last point if we pursued peace the same way we do wars or weapon manufacture then life for everyone would be a lot better

Well put, good post.

The problem with that is there is no money in peace.

[speedtripler]

They get used as slaves by the generals anyway, maybe unfair but what else do they need them for?

There is already plenty of soldiers in Thailand, if some of them have to wash the generals car every day what's the difference between that and what they do at the barracks in reality?

Different if there was a war but the idea of Thailand in a war is just laughable with their several thousand generals, nobody would know which orders to follow... Lol

Edited October 4, 2015 by speedtripler

[bamnutsak]

ok, lets force the young boys of the rice farmers in the North into the military. Train them to fire M-16s, ambush convoys, how to evade capture, jungle warfare and survival, URBAN warfare... wait

maybe we should rethink this...

I thought that's what the redshirts were for.

Nope. Redshirts are used for target practice.

[billd766]

ok, lets force the young boys of the rice farmers in the North into the military. Train them to fire M-16s, ambush convoys, how to evade capture, jungle warfare and survival, URBAN warfare... wait

maybe we should rethink this...

I thought that's what the redshirts were for.

Nope. Redshirts are used for target practice.

So are the Army in the South and they were in Bangkok to or had you "conveniently forgotten" that.

[Praematura]

He on is is referring to the poor that can't afford to pay to get out of this "requirement." My wife's uncle paid to get her cousin out of it and to my surprise it was relatively cheap.

[bamnutsak]

118,000 rounds expended and they could only kill ~ 90 of their fellow countrymen.

Good thing they are so poorly trained and can't seem to shoot fish in a barrel.

My wife's uncle paid to get her cousin out of it and to my surprise it was relatively cheap.

Yes, it can be cheap before the drawing, the price goes up after. And the fees paid vary by district. This is a decent money-maker for the Military I assume.

But I think this article is referring to something a bit different; one where some individuals might be actively contemplating avoiding conscription.

Edited October 4, 2015 by bamnutsak

[ramrod711]

What happened to the lottery?

You can actually do a voluntary weekly training starting with 16. Don't need to do full time service and when you're 21 you're already an officer. Good for the kids to get involved and make connections.

Oh hell yeah, you might even end up as PM.

[billd766]

Ok, for the "Uninformed" and the "Ignorant".

1 - As a Gunnery Sergeant, there was only 1 rank left I could have attained, and that would have been Master Gunnery Sergeant.

2 - In the Marine Corps (especially), and in the US Army, Gunnery Sergeants are on the same level as GOD! Actually, if you ask the average Marine or Soldier who he puts his faith in the most, God comes in second place.

3 - Officers, at least the smart ones, pay damn close attention to what a Gunny says. Why? Because the Gunny has "Been there, done that".

4 - In the US military, especially in the combat troops, you don't get to the position of Gunny just because you have longevity. You damn well earn that position.

4 - NOT ONCE in 20 years, and being in combat in many theaters of operations around the world, did I, or any of my men kill a single child or unarmed woman! NOT ONCE! People who like to spout that bull shit are talking out their asses. The people I killed would have killed me if given the chance, and trust me, they were all armed.

So, my suggestion is that if you don't know what the hell you are talking about, it's best to keep your mouth shut.

Many of the people responding to this thread have no real idea what they are talking about.

Experience and promotion in the military is learned and earned the harder and sometimes more painful way. In my 25 years in the RAF only newbies thought they knew better and they were the ones you found on barstools talking the talk. I know as I used to be one and learned from my experiencies which helped a lot in my later life.

If you haven't been there and done it how can you understand and talk about it.

The military is not always what you see in movies or on videos, in books etc. A whole lot of it is bullshit but it teaches you how to look after yourself and your personal equipment, how to work on your own and as part of a team, how to be self reliant and when to ask and get help. It teaches you pride in yourself and in your unit.

Sadly conscription is still in force in quite a few countries in the world. The advantages are that it is relatively cheap and soaks up quite a few of the unemployed.

The downside is that there is always a rapid turnover of manpower and some trades take a long time to train up so conscripts are not taught much in the way of technicians and engineers.

IMHO Thailand ought to seriously think of having a smaller but professional military who are far better paid and looked after. Thailand doesn't NEED 1,700 Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals to run the military. A couple of hundred or so spread across all 3 services if they are professional will do it.

A professional military is cheaper and far more efficient in the long term rather than conscripts and give much more value for money.

[speedtripler]

Ok, for the "Uninformed" and the "Ignorant".

1 - As a Gunnery Sergeant, there was only 1 rank left I could have attained, and that would have been Master Gunnery Sergeant.

2 - In the Marine Corps (especially), and in the US Army, Gunnery Sergeants are on the same level as GOD! Actually, if you ask the average Marine or Soldier who he puts his faith in the most, God comes in second place.

3 - Officers, at least the smart ones, pay damn close attention to what a Gunny says. Why? Because the Gunny has "Been there, done that".

4 - In the US military, especially in the combat troops, you don't get to the position of Gunny just because you have longevity. You damn well earn that position.

4 - NOT ONCE in 20 years, and being in combat in many theaters of operations around the world, did I, or any of my men kill a single child or unarmed woman! NOT ONCE! People who like to spout that bull shit are talking out their asses. The people I killed would have killed me if given the chance, and trust me, they were all armed.

So, my suggestion is that if you don't know what the hell you are talking about, it's best to keep your mouth shut.

Many of the people responding to this thread have no real idea what they are talking about.

Experience and promotion in the military is learned and earned the harder and sometimes more painful way. In my 25 years in the RAF only newbies thought they knew better and they were the ones you found on barstools talking the talk. I know as I used to be one and learned from my experiencies which helped a lot in my later life.

If you haven't been there and done it how can you understand and talk about it.

The military is not always what you see in movies or on videos, in books etc. A whole lot of it is bullshit but it teaches you how to look after yourself and your personal equipment, how to work on your own and as part of a team, how to be self reliant and when to ask and get help. It teaches you pride in yourself and in your unit.

Sadly conscription is still in force in quite a few countries in the world. The advantages are that it is relatively cheap and soaks up quite a few of the unemployed.

The downside is that there is always a rapid turnover of manpower and some trades take a long time to train up so conscripts are not taught much in the way of technicians and engineers.

IMHO Thailand ought to seriously think of having a smaller but professional military who are far better paid and looked after. Thailand doesn't NEED 1,700 Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals to run the military. A couple of hundred or so spread across all 3 services if they are professional will do it.

A professional military is cheaper and far more efficient in the long term rather than conscripts and give much more value for money.

But then who will do the chores and wash the admirals rolls Royce...

[chrisinth]

118,000 rounds expended and they could only kill ~ 90 of their fellow countrymen.

Good thing they are so poorly trained and can't seem to shoot fish in a barrel.

My wife's uncle paid to get her cousin out of it and to my surprise it was relatively cheap.

Yes, it can be cheap before the drawing, the price goes up after. And the fees paid vary by district. This is a decent money-maker for the Military I assume.

But I think this article is referring to something a bit different; one where some individuals might be actively contemplating avoiding conscription.

"118,000 rounds expended and they could only kill ~ 90 of their fellow countrymen"

Can you see the other side and imagine that maybe they didn't want to kill their fellow countrymen?

90 'bad' shots out of 118,000 would change the percentage value of their marksmanship a bit on your wavelength..............

[ChrisY1]

Just follow all the other Hi-so guys that avoid conscription every year....even the leader of a political mob avoided...by pretending to study........!

[billd766]

118,000 rounds expended and they could only kill ~ 90 of their fellow countrymen.

Good thing they are so poorly trained and can't seem to shoot fish in a barrel.

My wife's uncle paid to get her cousin out of it and to my surprise it was relatively cheap.

Yes, it can be cheap before the drawing, the price goes up after. And the fees paid vary by district. This is a decent money-maker for the Military I assume.

But I think this article is referring to something a bit different; one where some individuals might be actively contemplating avoiding conscription.

Do you have a link for this or is it just your opinion?

[ResandePohm]

Ok, for the "Uninformed" and the "Ignorant".

1 - As a Gunnery Sergeant, there was only 1 rank left I could have attained, and that would have been Master Gunnery Sergeant.

2 - In the Marine Corps (especially), and in the US Army, Gunnery Sergeants are on the same level as GOD! Actually, if you ask the average Marine or Soldier who he puts his faith in the most, God comes in second place.

3 - Officers, at least the smart ones, pay damn close attention to what a Gunny says. Why? Because the Gunny has "Been there, done that".

4 - In the US military, especially in the combat troops, you don't get to the position of Gunny just because you have longevity. You damn well earn that position.

4 - NOT ONCE in 20 years, and being in combat in many theaters of operations around the world, did I, or any of my men kill a single child or unarmed woman! NOT ONCE! People who like to spout that bull shit are talking out their asses. The people I killed would have killed me if given the chance, and trust me, they were all armed.

So, my suggestion is that if you don't know what the hell you are talking about, it's best to keep your mouth shut.

That's it. You tell em Gunny.

I was only an officer.

[Ichabod]

Conscription is barbaric and disgusting.

Thailand is not unique in having mandatory service (or some substitute). Switzerland comes to mind as being one of those barbaric and disgusting places. In all it looks like 60 or so countries do this.

Thailand's conscription is a disgrace because Thailand doesn't need any military at all, much less to commandeer the labor of the poor to constitute an army. But Switzerland has the most barbaric history of conscription of all. Those Swiss mercenaries you hear mentioned in the armies of the Pope, Henry V, or Napoleon were not independent soldiers-of-fortune answering ads in the back of men's magazine. They were young men drafted by the cantons and rented out to foreign armies. The Swiss viewed their young men as a cash crop.

I realize that's not the current situation, but the tradition of conscription in Switzerland is not an honorable history of self-defense, but the most ruthless exploitation of blood for money.

[geriatrickid]

Does this rule also apply to the children of the Bangkok fortunate few? Just askin'

Quite a number of my high school students do not do their military training. I guess a small donation into the right pocket will suffice.

When did high school students become eligible for conscription? Conscription applies for males between the ages of 21 and 30.

Are you teaching special ed classes?

Even when called up for the conscription lottery, if one doesn't pull the red ticket, one is not conscripted. As well, hundreds of thousands of Thais have avoided conscription through Ror Dor activity.

High school boys can do their "military training" from grade 10-12. They go every Wednesday afternoon and do this. I'm not sure what they call this activity in Thai. If they do that successfully there is no conscription or lottery for them. They have completed their requirements for the government.

I bolded the Ror Dor part for you. Ror Dor are Army Reserve Force students who take part in territorial defence training.

There is an oft repeated internet myth that participants in Ror Dor are automatically exempt from conscription. Not true. The fact is that participants have to pass various tests and move from participant to Grade 1 to Grade 2 to Grade 3 before they qualify for an exemption. At the end of every year there is the written exam and the physical exam. Participants also have to meet the attendance requirements. If the instructors don't like a student, or the student is a slob/stupid/lazy etc., the student does not advance. It is a 5 grade program, but most people stop after reaching the rank of sergeant at grade 3. The big bonus is that if one goes through grade 5 and graduates from university, one is granted a junior commission.

[biplanebluey]

When I did mine it was 2 yrs compulsory but now I am told you can do a weekly thing.What the hell does that mean? Can you just "go and play" whenever you feel like it.Surely there is some statuatory time you have to do?