Late last month, 23 high school students in Narathiwat were rushed to hospital after harsh military training. Eight needed dialysis due to life-threatening dehydration and kidney failure.
This is not the first instance of military training gone wrong. Sadly, it will not be the last.
More youngsters will risk injuries, life-long trauma -- and even death -- as long as the military maintains its mandatory conscription policy and hazing culture.
Under the law, Thai men at the age of 20 must undergo military service for up to two years.
Most young men are keen to avoid conscription due to the fear of losing up to two productive years, harsh training, poor welfare and widespread hazing.
One legal way to avoid it is to take military training for three years during high school. Unfortunately, many still cannot avoid the forced military training exercises.
The public outcry for the end to mandatory conscription and brutal training is growing ever louder with every incident of violence within the military's ranks.
The grievances and calls for change are valid. An ageing Thailand needs young people to maintain the economy. Modern warfare technology also requires a smaller number of soldiers, but much smarter ones. The military must undergo reform to keep up with the times.
There are two issues at hand. One is mandatory conscription. The other is violence in the military -- and its culture of impunity.
Positively, the military has declared a policy to reduce the size of the armed forces and is following through on it. The army has cut back its workforce by 10% this year. The number of conscripts has steadily declined. From 80,000–100,000 conscripts each year until recently, the number is down to 58,330 in 2022, a drop of 18,749 in just one year, according to an army spokesman.
Meanwhile, the number of volunteers is increasing. From only 22% of soldiers in 2010, the number of voluntary recruits increased to 30% last year and jumped to 75% this year. If the military increased welfare benefits and offered more career development, the day when military conscription might come to an end is not too far-fetched.
The Ministry of Defence has admitted that those who join the service voluntarily perform more efficiently than conscripts. Recruits also skip training much less than conscripts.
Voluntary military service not only creates a more efficient armed forces, but the policy is also in line with human rights principles and international treaties. Thailand has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which guarantees a person's right to freedom of thought and conscience. Those who are against military service, therefore, should not be forced to go through mandatory conscription.
The Ministry of Defence and the armed forces must provide stronger welfare incentives and organise professional development to encourage more people to join military services voluntarily.
Also, newcomers must receive military training with the chance to be promoted consistently for greater financial compensation and professional fulfilment. In other words, military professionalism is key to a more efficient armed forces. More importantly, the military must set a clear timeline to end its conscription policy. For example, the goal for compulsory enlistment next year should be reduced to 10%, with 90% recruits. And in 2024, voluntary military service must be the standard.
It must also eradicate abusive military training exercises, for the sake of accountability and professionalism. Trainees routinely face harassment and beatings that border on torture. Brutal training and disciplinary actions are rife although violence and dehumanising treatments violate the military's rules and regulations.
This abusive system has claimed the lives of some conscripts. More often than not, the abusers get away with murder because the military believes that admitting the crime will tarnish the military's reputation. As a result, violence against new conscripts persists.
In response to the Narathiwat military training violence, a general from the Territorial Defence Command visited the victims, apologised to the families, promised an investigation and transferred the rogue military trainer.
However, he downplayed the crime's gravity by claiming the trainer had no malice. Based on the lack of punishment in previous hazing scandals, the public is right to be sceptical that justice will be served.
Ending compulsory conscription and the culture of impunity will make the military leaner and more efficient. The integrity of the military depends on accountability and professionalism. Until this occurs, the military will struggle to regain the public's trust and respect.
