Over 20,000 Thais apply voluntarily for jobs in the military

Maj-General Sirichan Ngathong, the Army’s deputy spokesperson, said on Tuesday that 445,706 people are required to undergo mandatory conscription this year. However, 156,544 people have petitioned to postpone their conscription until next year.

Of those conscripted, 203,547 are 21 years old, while 85,615 are 22-29 years old.

So far, 160,334 people have passed their physical exams and their names will be added to the conscription draw.

Meanwhile, 23,126 people have voluntarily applied to become soldiers as of April 10, and about half of them applied online.

Sirichan said the Army expects more applications and believes voluntary applications this year will be higher than that of 2022, which saw 29,997 applications in 16 days of conscription. The tally on 2021 was 28,572 people.

The number of voluntary applications over recent years has been rising thanks to the incentives being offered, she said.

The incentives are part of a reform plan announced earlier by Army chief General Narongphan Jitkaewtae, who hopes a larger number of voluntary applications would allow the Army to end the mandatory conscription system within this year.

Public calls to end mandatory conscription grew stronger after photos and video clips of a comatose man being taken to a conscription-centre in Lamphun’s Muang district sparked an uproar on social media earlier this week.

The man was kept alive by oxygen and feeding tubes in an ambulance. His mother said military officials had quoted laws when ordering her son to “show up in person” at the conscription venue to prove he should be exempted. Her son has been in coma after a motorbike accident last year.

After social backlash, the 3rd Army unit, which is in charge of the North, issued an apology to the comatose man and his family, promising that this would not happen again.