With better welfare drawing 45,000 volunteers, Thai military will draft 40,000

With some 45,000 men expected to join or stay in the military, the remaining 40,000 positions will be filled via conscription, said Defence Ministry spokesman Rear Adm Thanitpong Sirisawetsak.

The conscription process kicked off on Monday and will run until April 12.

All men are required by Thai law to report to their local military registrar to be conscripted as soon as they turn 21.

If the number of men reporting is higher than the slots available, then they will be chosen through drawing lots.

So far, 15,000 of the 21,500 online applicants are eligible for the armed forces this year, Thanitpong said.

He added that the online application process, which kicked off in 2021 is fast becoming popular. Some 3,000 applicants had joined the military through this process in 2021, and the number grew to 6,500 in 2022 and 10,156 in 2023, he said.

He added that 25,000 more men are expected to join the armed forces voluntarily when they report at their local conscription stations, leaving 45,000 slots to be filled. The spokesman based this estimate on the fact that 25,461 men had voluntarily applied at conscription stations last year.

Another 5,000 slots have been occupied by those who have expressed their intention to stay in the military for another year.

Hence, Thanitpong said only 40,000 of the 85,000 required slots will be filled by drawing lots.

The spokesman added that the conscripts can seek to extend their service until they reach the age of 30.

The Pheu Thai government has been encouraging young men to join the armed forces in what is seen as a face-saving measure.

While campaigning for votes last year, Pheu Thai tried to compete against Move Forward, which wanted to do away with forced conscription, by promising to minimise conscription and instead encourage volunteers.

However, after taking on the Defence Ministry, Pheu Thai now has to appease the military, which insists on recruiting soldiers for national security.