Videos confirm long-standing rumours of conscript abuse

In advertisements, young draftees are portrayed as becoming mature and responsible adults after completing their military service, during which they are said to learn new things necessary for taking the next steps in life.

The main reason for such a public relations campaign is that many young men (aged 21 and over) – as well as their parents and other family members – worry about their safety while serving in the military – a period that lasts up to two years. They are actually afraid of getting more than they bargained for.

Many young men of conscription age attempt to avoid being drafted, requesting repeated postponements, citing reasons such as having to further their studies. Some parents reportedly even resort to bribery to help their children escape military service. 

The concern mostly involves the notorious basic training. Many draftees are said to be punished cruelly by drill sergeants or their assistants, who are often privates who completed their compulsory training the previous year. These assistant trainers sometimes get a little too much enjoyment out of exercising their new powers.

Because of its size, the Army has the largest share of draftees among the armed forces and the most cases of physical assault against draftees.

At least five video clips of draftees being trampled on by drill sergeants or their assistants have been widely distributed through online social networks recently. In most of the videos, the people involved are assistant trainers, but in some of them, the drill sergeants not only failed to stop the assaults – they took part in them.

Such stories are nothing new. What has changed is that, in the past, because of a lack of evidence, such incidents often went unreported and no action was taken against the persons responsible. The stories spread out of barracks through word of mouth.

However, thanks to modern gadgets that can make both video and audio recordings, clear evidence is now readily available. It is therefore difficult for the senior military officers involved to deny it if such incidents actually took place inside their barracks. 

Officially, there are five methods of punishment for serving soldiers who commit disciplinary offences – probation, imposition of a penalty, isolation, detention and imprisonment. Those who commit small offences are often punished through being forced to exercises such as push-ups or squats.

Army commander-in-chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha recently said that incidents of physical assault against draftees must not happen again. He also promised that all Army men involved in the physical assaults seen in the videos would be punished severely, as he considered their acts to be “harmful to the Army”.

The Army chief’s guarantee may be reassuring for many draftees and their families. But it will take time and more concrete action to dispel the fears associated with the military draft. 

Army personnel, from the top commanders to the lower-ranking drill sergeants and the privates involved in military training, must be sincere in helping the commander-in-chief keep his promise. If they keep military training free from physical assault, there will be more young men voluntarily applying to serve in the armed forces, instead of attempting to avoid being drafted.