Thailand ups drive for voluntary recruits amid conscription battle

During a meeting with recruiting officers at the Defence Ministry on Thursday, Sutin told them to approach young men eligible for conscription directly to convince them to join up voluntarily.

The move comes after the Pheu Thai-led government slashed the annual number of recruits needed from 150,000 to only 89,000 while vowing to reduce conscription by issuing incentives for voluntary service.

Conscription has become a hot topic in Thailand after the Move Forward Party campaigned to end compulsory enlistment during last year’s election. It won the election but failed to form a government.

Sutin held Thursday’s meeting ahead of the annual conscription drive from April 1 to 12.

He announced that 30,000 men had applied voluntarily for the military through the Defence Ministry’s new app but only 14,000 qualified for recruitment.

The military asked for 93,000 conscripts this year but the government trimmed the number down to 89,000 amid public pressure.

Sutin directed recruiting officers to use their lists of 21-year-olds eligible for the conscription lottery to contact the young men, their families or community leaders and try to convince them to apply voluntarily.

The recruitment campaign could be conducted door-to-door or face-to-face, he said.

Eligible young men and their families should be informed that recruits receive better benefits than in the past, including about 10,000 baht in monthly pay and a chance to study, Sutin said.

Soldiers can study for free up to the 12th grade with services from the Office of the Non-Formal and Informal Education, he said.

The military’s learning centre also helps link recruits with educational institutions so they can continue their studies online or after being discharged.

Several public and private universities, including Chulalongkorn University, had offered places for soldiers to study up to the doctorate level. Sutin said he would negotiate with universities to allow soldiers to pay tuition fees by instalment.

Meanwhile, recruits could acquire technical skills during their military service and receive certificates that would make getting a job much easier after they are discharged.

Cadet schools also offer places for qualified recruits to study to become officers.

On the job front, the Defence Ministry is collaborating with large corporations and government agencies to secure jobs for soldiers after they are discharged, Sutin said.

The government was also considering expanding medical benefits for private soldiers to cover their spouses as well.

He said he was currently pondering a measure to honour voluntary recruits by raising the national flag in front of their houses.

Nakhon Ratchasima’s chief recruiting officer proposed orientation sessions for recruits who had been “indoctrinated” by military-haters to disrespect their own families and be disloyal to the nation and monarchy.

Sutin replied that he may consider devoting a special day for new soldiers to feel gratitude to their parents, the nation and the royal family.