The military draft in Thailand: a critique from a nonkilling global political science perspective

The reckown Global Change, Peace & Security internationally refereed journal has published in its latest July 2018 issue a research article by Dr. Siwach Sripokangkula and Dr. John Drapera (Research Group on Local Affairs Administration, College of Local Administration, Khon Kaen University, Thailand), Cj Hinkeb (a conscientious objection rights activist from Bangkok), and Dr. Charles David Crumptonc (Institute for Governmental Service and Research, University of Maryland, USA) with the title “The military draft in Thailand: a critique from a nonkilling global political science perspective“.

The authors analyse the military draft from a nonkilling global political science perspective and present a nonkilling rationale for ending the draft. The article argues that retaining the military draft promotes a killing society and violates human rights, including the right to conscientious objection; causes mental anguish; is inefficient economically; causes corruption; and supports military interventionism. The authors further maintain that physical abuse that has accompanied the Thai version of military conscription constitutes a pro-killing manifestation of the military regime’s approach to maintaining the existing institutional alignment and control in Glenn Paige’s ‘funnel of killing’. Instead, we recommend converting the draft to a national service program with civilian alternatives, together with conscientious objection as a right. Thailand has had mandatory military service since 1905 and since 1954 via a lottery system. Beatings and deaths frequently occur among draftees, and photographs and videos in which draftees are injured, tortured, and humiliated are widespread.

Global Change, Peace & Security is a leading refereed journal that analyses the sources and consequences of conflict, violence and insecurity, but also the conditions and prospects for conflict transformation, peacekeeping and peace-building.

The article, together with other recent work by Dr. Siwach and Dr. Paul Chambers in the journal Pertanika “Returning Soldiers to the Barracks: Military Reform as the Crucial First Step in Democratising Thailand” and other work by Dr. Paul Chambers now constitute a clear and comprehensive military reform package for Thailand, with a strong nonkilling basis.