Thai Army Conscription

Can someone please tell me,Is a thai boy attending university exempt from being conscripted to the army? My BF is a uni student and is terrified of being called up.He has no interest in military life and I certainly do not want him to go.
I have heard of cases where "payments" are made, and the call up disappears ,but it doesn't make sense for the Gov to effectively ruin his education/career prospects by forcing him to join the army. Any information much appreciated.

[cdnmatt]

As far as I know, doesn't matter if you're going to a university or not, when you're 20 years old, you still have to attend the lottery. However, the chances of picking a red ball are actually pretty slim. What is it? Generally, a 3% chance I think?

Just buy his way out. It's only 30,000 baht. If you do so though, make sure he doesn't get signed off for a medical condition, because that may hinder future opportunities for him.

Yes, 30K seems to be the minimum, depending on location and agents/middlemen. It may go to 40 or 50K for various reasons, or simply because your dearly beloved thinks he can get that much from you.

[tobias-old]

They can defer the lottery till their study is finished.

Hi Medusa,

Your boyfriend is exempted from the army lottery as long as he is a full-time student up to the age of 25. When he is 25 the exemption expires even if he is still a student (otherwise Thai men would sign up for cheap open university programs every year to avoid conscription).

He must register with his district's army centre every year (early April in my bf's district down South... possibly the same across the country) even as a student, but he won't be conscripted. Another thing to remember is that he will need army clearance to live in another country if that is a long-term plan of yours, and if he manages to move to your home country without army clearance (ie. slipped under the radar) he could be in trouble when he returns to Thailand.

When he is eligible for conscription he can either volunteer and serve a six-month term or take the lottery and potentially serve a two-year term if he is unlucky. As Matt says, some people pay for "medical certificates" to avoid conscription, others have high-ranking friends in the government or the army, but in the end nothing is guaranteed.

Good luck to you and your boyfriend.

[colmx]

Generally, a 3% chance I think?


Matt's Statistic is Waaaaaay off here...

It is more like a 1 in 3 chance... especially up in Issan - where the chances are higher due to all the Bkk boys that have been bought out by their influential parents

[cdnmatt]

Generally, a 3% chance I think?


Matt's Statistic is Waaaaaay off here...

It is more like a 1 in 3 chance... especially up in Issan - where the chances are higher due to all the Bkk boys that have been bought out by their influential parents

Really? I'm not saying you're wrong, because there's a very good chance I'm wrong. But 33%+ of them get conscripted? I didn't know it was that high. I was told that in general, there were three red balls out of every 100. Guess I was wrong.

On my last trip a guy that I'd previously met mentioned buying his way out of the army. I can't really blame him for that.

[colmx]

Generally, a 3% chance I think?


Matt's Statistic is Waaaaaay off here...

It is more like a 1 in 3 chance... especially up in Issan - where the chances are higher due to all the Bkk boys that have been bought out by their influential parents

Really? I'm not saying you're wrong, because there's a very good chance I'm wrong. But 33%+ of them get conscripted? I didn't know it was that high. I was told that in general, there were three red balls out of every 100. Guess I was wrong.

The normal ratio is around 1 in 4 or 5
But at the moment the draft requirement are high so its 1 in 3

Or at least in Buriram, Issan it is
Every eligible boy in My BFs village got conscripted this year (5 from 5)
(and I can't wait to see what the gorgeous Pon will look like after 6 months of boot camp training!)

[bao-bao]

An early interviewee I've followed for the past five years said he paid Bt 30K in the Surin area to avoid service. That was about a month's gogo tips for him (yes, he's rather popular). He said he was glad to pay it and get it out of the way.

[Beachlover]

$30k... imagine how big an earner this would be for corrupt public servants... even if it's only once a year.

around my area (chiang Mai) the majority get conscripted i'd say 80%

[Beachlover]

At those odds there's a pretty strong incentive to come up with the cash! Of course, that just raises the odds for the boys still left in the pool... poor fellows.

[Aunty]

Are you for real??? Try and keep him out of the army??? Hello!

Think of what youтАЩll be missing! Buns of steel, ripped abs, and molasses marbled thighs. Yum.

You shouldnтАЩt be trying to keep him out of the army, dear, but trying to figure out a way of getting him in.

Thanks all for the info, I feel a lot better now having received your collective replies. I will pay the money ,I am NOT prepared to take a gamble and lose him to the army or undo his hard work at his studies,it's best to get it [army] out of the equation completely.




Are you for real??? Try and keep him out of the army??? Hello!

Think of what youтАЩll be missing! Buns of steel, ripped abs, and molasses marbled thighs. Yum.

You shouldnтАЩt be trying to keep him out of the army, dear, but trying to figure out a way of getting him in.

LOL. Thanks Aunty, obviously you are a pragmatist,but you and I have different tastes. My BF has a slim build,soft skinned, beautiful looking,and feminine. if he had "muscles" or looked/behaved "manly' I'd run a mile!Funny you should mention BUNS..his are perfect.Hope I d'ont freak ppl out ,but when I am with him and before I do the "deed" I usually spend about 10 or 15 mins biting his ass.He still reacts the same way (nearly 2 years now)..between giggles i hear "you very crazy..oww ..it make me laugh...Falang Baa".
Got a little carried away there sorry. I wish the problems in BKK were fcuking over and done with! :love4:

"you very crazy..oww ..it make me laugh...Falang Baa".

:sign5:

My BF has a slim build,soft skinned, beautiful looking,and feminine. if he had "muscles" or looked/behaved "manly' I'd run a mile!.

My BF is a uni student and is terrified of being called up.He has no interest in military life and I certainly do not want him to go.
[X] Those who are not afraid of the army can safely stay at home.

[X] Neither part-time nor full-time university studies are character-forming.

http://www.gooya.us/photos/photos/isrfemsoldiers3.jpg
[X] Gay queens who are afraid of the army should definitely join the army.

Hi guys, I'm from Asia and this is my first post here. Sorry about my poor English in advance.

Do any of you have idea that if a thai boy pick a black ball in the first year when he needs to attend the lottery, does it mean he will be exempt for the thai amy conscription forever?

As my issan BF is 20 years old this year, he passed the medical examination and finally picked a black ball in this early April. We were all happy we don't need to be apart. Whereas, I'm still concerned whether the lottery will come to him each year going forward? Or the black ball he got this year will permanently prevent him from the amy conscription?

Much appreciation for any information!

i dont want to dampen your enthusiasm but i have some first hand experience since my bf went through the same thing. BUT it's quite possible that you pay and he still gets conscripted. It used to be (3 years ago) that if you fronted up dressed as a ladyboy with drug induced boobs they would refuse you but the paper you are given which stated you no longer have obligations towards the military (which you need to get a job anywhere in Thailand) states that you were refused on mental instability grounds. The only other way to escape it legally is on the grounds that you are "tua lek" - small body. If your bf is slender/skinny (as mine was and he spent 1 month eating nearly nothing to slim even more) and your chest is less than 74 cm you will be excused on medical grounds - better than being officially a nutter!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bao-bao]

Hi guys, I'm from Asia and this is my first post here. Sorry about my poor English in advance.

Do any of you have idea that if a thai boy pick a black ball in the first year when he needs to attend the lottery, does it mean he will be exempt for the thai amy conscription forever?
Welcome to the board.

I don't have a definitive informed answer on that, sorry... but if you are in contact with him, ask your boyfriend. He or his friends who are actually in the area should know best or should be able to get an answer. There are some members who will probably have had experience to share on this, though.

Hi guys, I'm from Asia and this is my first post here. Sorry about my poor English in advance.

Do any of you have idea that if a thai boy pick a black ball in the first year when he needs to attend the lottery, does it mean he will be exempt for the thai amy conscription forever?
Welcome to the board.

I don't have a definitive informed answer on that, sorry... but if you are in contact with him, ask your boyfriend. He or his friends who are actually in the area should know best or should be able to get an answer. There are some members who will probably have had experience to share on this, though.

Yes as far as I know you only get called up once, so if you are lucky with the draw then that's it "bye, bye conscription" Same goes for paying off, in some areas it is easier to do than others with different prices, but once you have the exemption paper you won't be required to go back again. This of course, like anything else in LOS, is open to corruption as is indeed the 'buying off.'

Thanks all you guys for your experience sharing. Now I'm released. Today I was able to talk with my BF and he confirmed the call-up was only one-off. Our happy days ahead, haha

[goji]

The whole process is so unfair. For a start, why are women excluded? Most of them are no damn use for anything else, so why not include them in the lottery?

Better still, put all the overweight males & females in the draw, then the military service will improve their fitness to a sensible level.

[giggsy]

Better still, put all the overweight males & females in the draw, then the military service will improve their fitness to a sensible level.

Quite right. And leave all the slim good looking ones to work in the bars in Pattaya. I was going to say leave all the good looking ones to earn money for the country by working in Pattaya but do any of the boys actually pay any tax on their off fees ?

But do any of the boys actually pay any tax on their off fees ?

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand so the answer to your question is 'no'

But do any of the boys actually pay any tax on their off fees ?

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand so the answer to your question is 'no'

The legality (or otherwise) of the work is a moot point. The answer is "of course not", regardless. Just like for everyone else in business for themselves in Thailand.