As the election results are now in, there are calls to end compulsory military service with ‘The Move Forward Party’ and the ‘Pheu Thai Party’ looking to terminate it in favour of voluntary enlistment as part of one their suite of election promises. Public opinion towards military conscription has become increasingly negative, although there are many that argue that it presents benefits, including instilling self-discipline, personal responsibility, and character development. They propose a hybrid system combining conscription and voluntary service that offers people the opportunity to work in military hospitals or military enterprises. The army has previously conducted a study into voluntary military systems but has not completely considered transitioning from conscription to a voluntary system, as some voluntary candidates might fail to meet the necessary criteria.

Our Take

This one is interesting, and to be totally honest, something that I’m not so well-versed in. Back in Canada, there’s no version where young adults are required to register for military service (whether it be a year, two years, enlisting in certain programs, etc.). It just doesn’t exist. Looking back on it though, there probably are benefits to mandatory service as far as teaching work ethic, discipline, and characters goes. It’s probably something that would have been good for an 18-year old Adam. I am happy I didn’t need to do it though, so I guess that’s my verdict on it if you read between the lines 😉. I’ll be very interested to see how this plays out and what direction the newly elected government decides to take.