Do i have to serve in the Thai military?

[bobberh]

Hi forum,

 

It's been a while since this topic was up. I live in an european country and have been living here for 22 years (since i was 5). 

 

I ordered a ticket to Thailand this January for a vacation (3 weeks). I was told that the new government has tightened the rules and has enhanced the search for new recruits for the military.

So i'm concerned that the airport/government would deny me from traveling back to my european home because i haven't been up for draft.

 

My situation:

I have a thai passport nothing else.

I can't read thai, I barely speak it.

My name is in the ''Tabien baan''.

I do not have a thai ID card.

My father who is living there, have not received any letters from the military regarding me.

 

Can anyone please enlighten me more about this topic? and is there a chance that i would be denied from traveling back til EU?

 

[sotonowl]

You need to get back and do your national service son,it'll do you a world of good.

[robblok]

13 minutes ago, sotonowl said:

You need to get back and do your national service son,it'll do you a world of good.

 

Serving in the army is nothing more then wasted time.. all those old timers who say otherwise 

[tifino]

16 minutes ago, sotonowl said:

You need to get back and do your national service son,it'll do you a world of good.

 

or do a (how did George Bush avoid Vietnam? ) - and opt for doing  the 3 months as a Monk

 

 

you are going to lose your hair - either way...

[ukrules]

Can't you get a European passport ?

[daveAustin]

Pretty sure if you were out of the country (otherwise engaged in another life, i.e. studying/living elsewhere), you are in the clear. Hardly think they'd stiff you while on holiday... you're a tourist.

[Strange]

51 minutes ago, bobberh said:

Can anyone please enlighten me more about this topic? and is there a chance that i would be denied from traveling back til EU?

 

Coming in on a Thai passport at like 27-28 years old? 

 

I don't know much about the subject, but as far as Thailand is concerned they probably don't even know who you are. Its not like they got mega-records on everyone. Your birth cert records are probably on paper in some dusty file cabinet somewhere. 

 

Im sure there will be some people on here that will put the fear of god into you about it, but honestly I would not worry about it. 

[chickenslegs]

28 minutes ago, robblok said:

 

Serving in the army is nothing more then wasted time.. all those old timers who say otherwise 

 

Several Prime Ministers would disagree, including the current one.

 

I thought you were a fan.

[Strange]

31 minutes ago, robblok said:

Serving in the army is nothing more then wasted time.. all those old timers who say otherwise 

 

Just now, chickenslegs said:

Several Prime Ministers would disagree, including the current one.

 

I thought you were a fan.

 

You guys talking about Thailand or UK/EU?

[robblok]

9 minutes ago, Strange said:

 

 

You guys talking about Thailand or UK/EU?

I am talking about both EU and Thailand. I am talking about conscription.. not a professional army. 

 

The stories i heard about the Dutch army for instance were tales of drinking and drinking and wasted time. (conscription not the Dutch professional army that we have now)

[robblok]

12 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

 

Several Prime Ministers would disagree, including the current one.

 

I thought you were a fan.

 

Not a fan of the army or conscription. If you are talking that i like the junta .. its more a matter of disliking them less than the previous groups. 

 

Professional armies are different.. then its a career choice.. somewhere the people that joined want to be and are motivated. Conscription.. not so much motivation or even usefulness. 

 

I always have to laugh at the old timers that think that serving in the army turns someone into a man or teaches them discipline. Those things are either in you or they are not. 

[sotonowl]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

I am talking about both EU and Thailand. I am talking about conscription.. not a professional army. 

 

The stories i heard about the Dutch army for instance were tales of drinking and drinking and wasted time. (conscription not the Dutch professional army that we have now)

So, there was drinking and drinking, what did they waste the time on.

[sotonowl]

Just now, robblok said:

 

Not a fan of the army or conscription. If you are talking that i like the junta .. its more a matter of disliking them less than the previous groups. 

 

Professional armies are different.. then its a career choice.. somewhere the people that joined want to be and are motivated. Conscription.. not so much motivation or even usefulness. 

 

I always have to laugh at the old timers that think that serving in the army turns someone into a man or teaches them discipline. Those things are either in you or they are not. 

what a load of cobblers,discipline is seldom found in youth, it has to be instilled

[robblok]

Just now, sotonowl said:

So, there was drinking and drinking, what did they waste the time on.

 

Funny, I do see the humor of that remark. (just in case it was not a joke i give a reply)

 

But i mean time wasted from a real career and study for something you really want. Not wasting 2 years learning something that has no use and that does not interest you (if someone is interested in the army they would join it anyway)

[robblok]

Just now, sotonowl said:

what a load of cobblers,discipline is seldom found in youth, it has to be instilled

Yes old guys often say that.. its funny. 

 

Nobody ever taught me discipline and i seem to have turned out ok. Some would say I am quite disciplined in my workouts and normal work. I know of many others.. no problems either and I know of those who have been in the army and turned out bad.. just a fairy-tail that people need to be in the army to get discipline.   

[sotonowl]

2 minutes ago, robblok said:

 

Funny, I do see the humor of that remark. (just in case it was not a joke i give a reply)

 

But i mean time wasted from a real career and study for something you really want. Not wasting 2 years learning something that has no use and that does not interest you (if someone is interested in the army they would join it anyway)

It benefits society a thousand times more than the individual, that's the whole point of it

[sotonowl]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

Yes old guys often say that.. its funny. 

 

Nobody ever taught me discipline and i seem to have turned out ok. Some would say I am quite disciplined in my workouts and normal work. I know of many others.. no problems either and I know of those who have been in the army and turned out bad.. just a fairy-tail that people need to be in the army to get discipline.   

Well in respect of the dutch army i'd probably have to agree with you

[sotonowl]

In fact, I would suggest that the non-integration of ethnic minorities into western culture (yes I know we are discussing Thailand) would greatly benefit society in each country

 

[balo]

1 hour ago, bobberh said:

It's been a while since this topic was up. I live in an european country and have been living here for 22 years (since i was 5). 

 

 

22 years in Europe and the only passport you own is Thai ?  Why didn't you apply for citizenship in your new country ?  You went through the school system since you were 5 and you do not speak Thai anymore. I would stay away from Thailand until you get a new passport. 

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2016 by balo

[fruitman]

I guess you speak a european language as well, you can come to thailand and ONLY speak that language to any official. In that case you must be useless to them i would think.

 

But it doesn't hurt to be in the army, makes you a real man.

[Basil B]

If the army is short of recruits maybe they start conscripting monks from wayward temples... 

[mamborobert]

If you  have received no notice for the lottery through your father cannot see how you would be up for consideration, as you would have had to be registered several years earlier for the candidate pool.  So unless some over zealous Immigration guy wants to make a lot of work for himeself by actually enquiring of a Thai national shich seems hiighly unlikley you should be ok.....

 

It would be interesting how far they would go if you maintained you could neither speak or read/write Thai.   No hablo Thai, cannot see how you could be inducted/trained etc.  Worse comes to worse pick out a padded bra and a nice frock, that will get you out as well here  ..

 

Completed conscription myself...loved it....but just as it makes some people there were a few that it broke entirely.  Having seen that, and known how fragile some of my extended family were, could never advocate for it even though it really did a world of good for me personally.

 

[Strange]

50 minutes ago, robblok said:

I am talking about both EU and Thailand. I am talking about conscription.. not a professional army. 

 

The stories i heard about the Dutch army for instance were tales of drinking and drinking and wasted time. (conscription not the Dutch professional army that we have now)

 

Gotcha. I can see how it could be a waste of time on the Thai side, unless its a family thing and all the entitlements therein. 

 

Didn't know the feelings were like that for the Dutch conscription. 

 

Murica' its a good deal to get into the military at least for a couple years. Learn a trade & get a GI Bill. 

[sotonowl]

Just spoke with my missus whose son has just completed his. Who is to say they haven't been looking for you? Your name is on the household register, you have a Thai passport and nothing else, if they pick up on this either entry or exit they'll probably have you away, it's a big risk mate.

On another subject, how do you get away with living in the EU on a Thai passport? Just curious.

[Strange]

1 hour ago, balo said:

22 years in Europe and the only passport you own is Thai ?  Why didn't you apply for citizenship in your new country ?  You went through the school system since you were 5 and you do not speak Thai anymore. I would stay away from Thailand until you get a new passport. 

 

Maybe I misunderstood or misread it, but are we assuming he is a thai national staying in EU Illegally? 

 

I was thinking he was a born Thai that migrated to Europe (assumed through family) and wanted to return to Thailand on his Thai passport for 3 weeks. Shouldn't be a damn thing wrong with that right?

[Strange]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

If you are talking that i like the junta .. its more a matter of disliking them less than the previous groups. 

 

Honestly, I'm out here Isaan way, and just about every Thai I talk to says the same thing. My wife feels the same way. She hates it when I rant about the junta lol but I get it. 

[sotonowl]

10 minutes ago, Strange said:

 

Maybe I misunderstood or misread it, but are we assuming he is a thai national staying in EU Illegally? 

 

I was thinking he was a born Thai that migrated to Europe (assumed through family) and wanted to return to Thailand on his Thai passport for 3 weeks. Shouldn't be a damn thing wrong with that right?

Well if he only has a Thai passport he must have indefinate leave to remain stamped in it or they wouldn't let him back in to the EU

 

[Strange]

5 minutes ago, sotonowl said:

Well if he only has a Thai passport he must have indefinate leave to remain stamped in it or they wouldn't let him back in to the EU

 

I dunno about EU stuff, and what your saying makes perfect sense to me (as a layman) but it seemed like OP was concerned about Thailand not allowing him to leave due to a military conscription/draft kinda thing in Thailand, not about re-entering EU. 

 

Im drawing conclusions here based on available information of course, and maybe OP will chime in again, but it looks like he's all good in the EU, and he's just worried about departing Thailand. 

 

Did I miss something? 

[sotonowl]

29 minutes ago, Strange said:

 

I dunno about EU stuff, and what your saying makes perfect sense to me (as a layman) but it seemed like OP was concerned about Thailand not allowing him to leave due to a military conscription/draft kinda thing in Thailand, not about re-entering EU. 

 

Im drawing conclusions here based on available information of course, and maybe OP will chime in again, but it looks like he's all good in the EU, and he's just worried about departing Thailand. 

 

Did I miss something? 

no, as i said in my post, i asked him because i was just curious to know how he did it, i'm just a layman myself

[robblok]

8 hours ago, sotonowl said:

no, as i said in my post, i asked him because i was just curious to know how he did it, i'm just a layman myself

I speak from experience as I had a Thai wife and her 2 daughters. The mother gets a paper based on mariage and the kids based on their mother. After a few years say 5 or so they CAN get a Dutch passport (one of the 2 has done so) the other has not and can still stay as long as she has that card. 

 

Basically the same as how you stay in Thailand, only getting into the EU is harder (loads of paperwork and rules) but once you are in its easier and you got more rights. 

 

I still disagree on the army (conscription being a good thing and benefiting a country, its usually old people who think that way). Putting a group of unmotivated people in the army is a recipe for disaster and they wont learn a thing. Letting them study or doing normal work is far more valuable in the end. I have no problem with a professional army, there people are motivated and will want to learn and train. 

 

I was real happy that they stopped conscription back in my country, I had already studied for a long time (got my certificates and so on). Going to the army after that would have been a big waste of time. Now I could start in the field i studied for without interruption, making money paying taxes and learning more. Going a year in the army unmotivated learning skills i would never use or even develop would have been a waste. Thankfully our government thought the same about this and stopped conscription. The US government did the same thing I believe long ago. Seems people far smarter than you have seen the way long ago.