military conscription

[cannibalgod70-old]

My new Issan boy is hinting that he needs 25000 baht to avoid the Thai draft. I've read that all Thai men, at age 21, have a 1 in 3 chance of being inducted for mandatory military duty for 1 to 2 years. Has anyone had experience with this 25000 baht scheme, or is it a common scam?

No first hand knowledge but I have heard that it is possible for a boy to buyout of the draft. Do not know how much the fee is, but I am pretty sure it is possible. Perhaps some of the more experienced members can shed more light on this matter.

[cannibalgod70-old]

Thank you Monkey See - He doesn't turn 21 until next year so I'll wait and see if his number comes up, then cross that bridge. I met his parents, and everyone else in his village, last month. They are poor, but extremely nice people. He's never asked for a cent before so I am suspicious that some of those nice villagers are pressuring him to milk the farang. Last week he was hinting around that he needed a car - not a used one, but a 2007 Honda. That's a 600,000 baht investment with 250,000 down and 20,000 per month...and he doesn't know how to drive.

I don't know how much trouble the Thai army can make for gay men, but there's always bullies. He's a sissy, a real big sissy. At 6'2" he's a good head over most Thai, and a head means a lot to a Thai. He doesn't act or dress like a kid from the sticks and attracts a lot of rude stares on the sidewalks of Udon Thani. If I give him money it may be wiser in the long run to pay for weight training or kickboxing lessons and then let him take care of himself wherever he goes.

Let him be conscripted. Sounds like he has a lot of maturing to do, and the army will be good for him.

[adman5000]

I am sure someone else will have more knowledge than me on this but I think that if you want to do a buyout, it is most easily done before the drawing.

[Smiles]

" ... I am sure someone else will have more knowledge than me on this but I think that if you want to do a buyout, it is most easily done before the drawing ..."
Could be wrong of course, but I suspect that (in Thailand) the amount of lucre involved would trump the date of palming every time.
Yes ... a Thai guy can buy himself out of the draft ... or the results of the draft. He can also get himself a drivers licence in 3 hours as opposed to 3+ weeks.


" ... You can get anything you want, in Alice's Thai Restaurant ... "

(To the tune of a great Arlo Guthrie ditty. Old hippies will be familiar.)


Cheers ...

Payment before the draw is best and 25,000 baht is not out of line.

[Aunty]

What does Beryl think? She's our resident expert, and fine example, of the best of British military intelligunce. Come on Hovelturd, you must have learnt a thing or two from practicing your midnight maneuvers on unsuspecting privates, you big nancy. Should this boy avoid the draft?

I have had Thais tell me it is no longer possible to buy out of the draft. It is highly possible you are being scammed. That said, do Thai elite really get drafted, and if not, how do they get out of it?

That said, do Thai elite really get drafted, and if not, how do they get out of it?

The old adage answers your question - "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, IT'S WHO YOU KNOW"

That was about the sum I paid about 8 years ago so the guy I was dating would avoid the draft. Seems prices have changed that much. I think tho he had to go back to his village and the elder had to make the payment for him.

TBT 25.000 is the common rate. This is correct. As usual, military is a lot of nonsense, in Thailand as everywhere. I knew from my own experience and will not discuss this matter further.

You can help him with paying him this amount of money as soon as possible, if he really likes to avoid military duty. Uniforms are most suspicious to most Thai people.

On the other hand, he gel accommodation, food for free and a monthly salary of app. TBT 5.500 which can be a big financial help to his family.

I you are going to bail him out from military service you should consider the next step. If you are willing to take any responsibility talk to him somewhere quietly and find out what he really likes to do. Leaving him continuing bar work it is better, to let him go the do his military service. Inquire if he likes to do some serious work (I do have any respect for sex workers – please do not misunderstand me).

If he likes to learn a job, help him to sign up for a course in a vocational college. This is not much fan for him either but the colleges are very good and he can learn some professional job and will find a reasonably paid job even before his course finished. The costs are around 12.000 to 18.000 TBT plus maybe some extra for tools and equipment he will own and take home. For all this expect around 2.000 to 4.000 TBT extra.

Let him discuss this option with family and friends. He will listen to there opinion. Do not push him into something he might not like – it will not work.

Do never jump in forests before you don’t know what’s behind the bushes. Do not expect a long lasting relationship. This is something you cannot buy, but you will do find a good friend and MAYBE more. But I am sure while accompanying your friend carefully during the next year or so will bring you much more joy and knowledge about Thailand as money can buy. And for sure, as a frequent guest in Pattaya, Bangkok or somewhere else where he is having is friends and present colleagues, you will earn a long lasting respect too. He will need your guidance and support. But please by any means, do it not half hearted or half way! That wouldn’t be good neither for you or him.

I still think this might be a scam.

At first:

Boys are to be selected by size: The minimum required height is 160 cm.

If your boy is at least 160 cm height he will be invited to a lottery which is usually held in open public with friends and families around.

At second:

The delinquents have to choose to draw a black or red ball out of a basket. If he gets the red one, he will be immediately forced into his new duty. The lucky ones get the black one and will go broadly smiling home and fairly drunk soon after.

At third:
The candidates who paid the TBT 25.000 will surely get a black ball. Only a very few who didn’t pay are lucky. There are either at the beginning or the end of the lottery queue, got sorted into specific lanes before the lottery begins. Sometimes well off relatives of family friends pay in order to protect the boys from uses on weapons or getting harshly abused …..

At fourth:
Rich people don’t waist any time with military services or anything unpopular like it. Students are usually signed up with Para militaristic training corps and after a few hours or robbing and climbing and probably a lot of sex they can get away from all this kind of duties.


This whole event is held in public. It is quite interesting the take part on this ceremony and observe the faces and sudden changes of gestures. Many extremely close long time friends do not talk to each other any more afterwards.


My boyfriend and I where very lucky, he turns out to be 155cm only. He is very cute looking in his pseudo army outfit he likes very much – it’s the fashion, I learned.


Today I checked the house as I do frequently (the Thai’s never would do that without an urgent reason, but farang is ting tong nit noi and they let me go on with it, gracefully accepting my spleens) and found some small holes in the roof. My darling smiled at me so sexy and pointed onto the neighbour’s house: “I knew you like blue very much…… Maybe we should do it before the rainy season starts. I have a special ATM for repair but maybe I need to check balance”.

It’s a fairly large house……

[kodiak]

I was told if the boy is too Feminine the army would not take him......not sure if true or not......But sounds like your boy is a good candidate for refusal into service..?

[Jetsam]

I was told if the boy is too Feminine the army would not take him......not sure if true or not......But sounds like your boy is a good candidate for refusal into service..?

There's always the Gay army , wouldn't mind to serve there :cheers:

http://www.seher.no/polopoly_fs/1.68288.1150289544!img68270.jpg

Two and a half year ago for about one and a half year the forced refuse to recrute very femine boys "in order to keep up the moral within the forces". But this has changed again. Some gay like it very much being amongst plenty of randy young men - and sometimes it works vice- versa, as it often does. Just go to some Isaan concert organised by temples in smaller villages. It's so raunchy after the dancing.

But this also changed back since end of last year (not for the Isaan concerts). There is no refusal of "obviously gay people" any any more - politicalls "due to anti-discrimination of gay" crowd, but the true factors behind are: 1. they missed the fun with new fresh flesh, 2. especially the "ladyboys" find the money to avoid the duty more easely from friendy or family.

.... maybe six months or more ago, my Thai friend from Isan drew the 'red ball' and was to become an army conscript. He was given the option of joining straight away or delaying for 6 months before starting his two year service. His family were happy at the prospect of him having a set income (if small) and lodgings and all the food he needed. My friend likes the army but did not want to join up. I'm not sure how it has all worked out, but he has not asked me for money to avoid his army duties, but apparently there is a way that the Captain/Commander/General (whatever) can syphon off whatever my friend would have been paid and keep it for himself without my friend joining up. I am not aware that any cash payment has been made. It may be a case of who you know and others may have to pay a 25,000 baht charge, but it sounds like my friend got off pretty easily!

[cannibalgod70-old]

Thank you ttom and Fatman41, and others, for your thoughtful replies. I have a much better idea of what this means to my boy and how the possible alternatives can be worked out. My boy is very gay-acting especially when he's got a couple drinks in him. But he does know when to turn down the volume in less accepting locations or if the headman stops by. Sometimes when he's getting a little too obvious I give him a look and he straightens up in, like, a split second.

I think the toughest part of army life would be separation from his mama and papa. I've had to buy him phone cards every other day because he calls them, or they call him, every two or three hours. It's kind of an amazing relationship, they're constantly cracking each other up. And when he puts it on speaker phone, other Lao people in the vicinity start laughing their asses off, too. I can't think what the family would do to entertain themselves all day without each other. I've read all kinds of NGO crap about the pain and deprivation of Esarn life, but they look like a bunch of comedians to me.

If anything the service would weaken his wallet. He works at a hotel during the peak season and his spare time is taken up with freelancing. So he's used to making at least 7,000-10,000 per month. More when I'm around. He spends a lot on himself and his family in the usual sweet Thai way. So talking to him about a plan for the future is necessary because, at this rate of pay, he hasn't any motivation to imagine himself in a future state of helplessness. And his family isn't bereft of connections either, being related by marriage to the headman's son. I get the feeling, though, that he is already in debt to these relatives to the point where he quietly resents their presence. I can see where it would be easier to borrow from a farang than test his local social net further.

It's a prudent and parental thing to do, but I hate to be one of those who encourages others to "grow-up". If only because it's hypocritical. If everyone acted like a grown-up in Thailand, it would be...Akron, OH or Grand Rapids, MI or some other exotic new world order pleasure dome. Not much raunchy Isaan dancing done there.
Of course, indulging the boy will cost $680 USD which is enough to make me swallow a good bit of my fun-loving idealism.