National Service (Thailand)

[Guest noy9000]

I'm wondering if anyone know anything about the National Service system in Thailand; is there a practise for a basic military training (like in Singapore)?

 

I know some guys are exempted, but will they also be called in for a month or 2?

[Guest nightowl]

Thai's have to go in the army at 21. It all happens around this time of year, April, and they have to attend a procedure where they take coloured balls from a bag. If they get a red ball they have to do army for 2 years but if they take a black ball they are excempt.

Some can do an under the table arrangement and just report at certain times, not doing the 2 year stint at all.

 

[Guest luvthai]

It cost me 20,000 baht to help my ex keep from going into the service. He was so terrified that they would find out he was a bar boy. I remember he had to go back to his village and the village elder went to negogiate the settlement for him.

[Guest kenrfc]

It cost me 20,000 baht to help my ex keep from going into the service. He was so terrified that they would find out he was a bar boy. I remember he had to go back to his village and the village elder went to negogiate the settlement for him.

 

Same here. Cost me 30,000 though.

Anyone else?

 

[Guest jojo777]

20,000 about six years ago! I have since learned it was a scam! My b/f (still with him!) said it was a split between the police the army officer! The family got 2000, which I believe they didn't want or need! I remember the father giving me a amulet which was worth at least that!

 

They were told it would be 'better' for them if they agreed, and so it was!

 

Amazing Thailand!

 

But I have no regrets!

[Guest MissMarples]

Same me, I paid 25,000 Baht 4 years ago and it kept the ex out of the army

[Guest Boxer]

Same me, I paid 25,000 Baht 4 years ago and it kept the ex out of the army

 

 

Two Thai friends this year in different parts have tried to BUY themselves out but have had refusals saying they have to go to the Red/Black ball lottery. One family is well connected in their local area but still refused. New order maybe?

First selection is for height over 172 cm I am told and health before the lotttery selection.

[Guest noy9000]

Thai's have to go in the army at 21. It all happens around this time of year, April, and they have to attend a procedure where they take coloured balls from a bag. If they get a red ball they have to do army for 2 years but if they take a black ball they are excempt.

Some can do an under the table arrangement and just report at certain times, not doing the 2 year stint at all.

When can the negotiation be done?

 

I just realised something, like a hidden capsule - which I didn't understand in the beginning. It is my decision to help though, so I understand if it's silly. (FWIW - I wasn't approach for the assistance)

 

Is the 20,000THB still valid, or negotiatable? what happens... post-lottery?

[Guest alaan]

An alternative to buying him out.....is to simply let him go to the ballot, which are actually folded pieces of paper, there is a good chance that he may pick black anyway, but if he picks red all is not lost in any relationship.Also depending which area he comes from, if they have already filled the quota from the viiage with volunteers and regulars sometimes no ballot is required or the ratio of black papers to red is huge.One friend of mine from Bangkok who was married, did not have to go through the ballot procedure because of this.

 

I offered to buy my Thai friend out 4 years ago when he was due for national service, but he insisted that it should be up to fate to decide his 2 year future and also he felt it unpatriotic not to do the right thing as he saw it......i of course still pleaded with him to be bought out, as the thought of not seeing him on my regular visits was too much to accept. But he is a strong minded individual and went to the ballot.I was on my mobile in Scotland to his brother who was at the ballot as he picked out the red paper.. I was distraught as I had been with him since my very first visit to Thailand in Feb 2000 (and i'm still with him).... My thai friend was unhappy but accepted the situation.

 

This was in April of that year, there were two intakes.. May and November.. he was ordered to join the army in November.. so at least I could still see him for a couple of trips before he went, as I visit Thailand 4 times per year every 3 months.

 

But all my worrying was pointless. Only the first 3 months are hard. This is the basic training peroid all new recruits go through until they receive their posting. It is physical training or square bashing as it is known in the uk. No holidays in this peroid or mobile phones and comforts etc. But once this is past.... and I can only speak for the experience of my friend... the biggest problem after this is the boredom.

 

After his 3 month initiation my friend was posted to be personal 'guard' of an officer, and as such he lived in the officers house in the army barracks, he had acess to his mobile phone, cooked and looked after the house, still did some drills but very few, he had many very good friends there, often the officer would go to bangkok at weekends and he had the run of the house, with tv,able to play his beloved guitar,comfortable room etc. he sometimes had to go to the main barracks where the officers showed porn movies (hetro) in the dorms, drank whisky etc.

 

He also explained to me that very camp and gay bottom boys if cute could have themselves a very good life if they were discrete, simply because they were 'in demand' because of the lack of access to girls, they had the pick of the handsome recruits, were treated very well, protected by lovers etc... so two sides to the story.

 

As for not seeing him...... well things just went along as they had before he joined the army, they have a very generous holiday entitlement.. from memory he had 10 days holiday every 2 months, but it was up to his officer to agree to the dates of the holidays he wanted, so he 'saved up' some days and when he received his holiday dates he told me and I booked my holidays around this, it worked out fine for me because I was able to get holidays when it suited me. The only thing was 10 days was the max at one time. So instead of seeing him for about 16-20 days each trip I saw him for 10, and we always had to use a couple of these days to visit his family, but I always enjoyed the visits to his home, so that was no problem for me.

 

Overall, apart from the boredom, he enjoyed it ok, and it did mature him in many ways... and improved his cooking skills! He now has his full papers saying that he has done his patriotic duty for the king... and now has a full passport, and self-respect. I was also surprised how quickly the 2 years passed (for me), when we look back now it seems like a decade ago not only 4 years.He was paid Bt1800 per month to start rising to Bt2500, with virtually no expenses as all food, board and lodgings were taken care of, he used some of it for luxuries and sent the rest home.

Sorry the post is a bit long but I just wanted to pass as much info as possible.

 

 

[Guest kenrfc]

....Is the 20,000THB still valid, or negotiatable? what happens... post-lottery?

 

If he gets the red ball the price goes WAYYYY up - like 100,000 (according to BF)

[Guest pete1969]

Alaan, thanks for that really nice post. I greatly enjoy when members give us a personal glimpse into the lives of themselves and their Thai BFs whatever the situation may be. IMO, this is really the only forum for gay Thailand where members can safely do that without being flamed.

 

Both Thai BFs I've had were 24 when I met them, so I've never had to worry about military service. The current BF is a very small guy, and he says the army would not even let him in the lottery.

 

Pete

[Guest noy9000]

Okay. I did fall in love with someone I shouldn't had, but I don't really want to talk about it.

 

Somebody said that AIDS is so prevalent in the Thai army , and educational efforts have been so ineffective, that this might be the one place on earth where it might be meaningful to test the vaccine. That makes things different. Now i'm risking a serious problem for myself -- if he goes into the army, and gets AIDS, i'll blame myself.

 

(He asked me for 20,000THB before - long ago, and also came back to talk about money 2 weeks ago - which I only know 3-4 days ago about the national service, by the time I know about the sum of money on this forum... it's already too late).

 

Whether it's true or not, I don't really (or need to) know; I'm willing to spend the money -- not for him, but for my own sanity.

 

As usual, if that happens - I'll verify everything first (by flying down with my thai friend to ask properly with the right, and 'right' channel').

[Guest kenrfc]

I had a very interesting conversation with my boyfriend today about this subject.

 

He is turning 21 this month and is in his hometown right now for the "lottery". Since the payoffs were already made I knew he would be in the clear but I asked him how things went just to find out how it works.

He lives in Chinat, a small province to the north of Bangkok, in a small village. On the 1st the "elegeble" boys from the surrounding villages and their families gathered at the larger central village. There were 66 boys and 19 got the red ball and 47 the black ball (so about 2 in 5 of getting called up). Apparently its run something like a Bingo game. I guess the boy's name is called and as the draw begins people start chanting "BLACK! BLACK! BLACK!" If the black ball comes up there is much cheering and shouting. Apparently when Red comes up there are not a few tears, from both boy and family.

Boyfriend was taken off to a room somewhere and had to wait and wait and wait. Eventually he was told he could leave. Exactly what the mechanics of the payoff are he couldn't say. All I know is he paid off the official (military or local I don't know) some months ago.

He also said there were 5 "ladyboys" (fem-boys) involved and one was sent to the "army in boat" which I take to be "Navy". (Note:I'm not sure from his broken English if he meant 5 ladyboys were called up or just in the lottery pool.)

 

He said it was all very "exciting", by which I think he meant "nerve wracking".

 

Leave it to the Thais to turn it into a game. God bless 'em.

[Guest MissMarples]

What happened to my ex was, we paid the money to the Army officer. The ex-bf was then 'moved' to a village where the full quota was reached and no lottery would take place. Then after the lottery took place in his home village, he was 'moved' back.

 

Strange but true!!!

[Gaybutton]

I just returned from several days in my boyfriend's home province. While we were there he wanted to go to the local induction center. A couple of his friends lost out on the lottery and it was induction day. It was an incredible sight. There were at least five-hundred boys there (and not one of them wearing a shirt) going through their induction. Their families and friends were there too, along with vendors selling everything you could possibly imagine. It was almost a circus atmosphere, with only the inductees looking forlorn about the whole thing.

 

How it all works and whether it is possible to buy one's way out of it depends on which province the boy comes from and what kinds of connections he has. There is nothing standard about any of it, which makes sense to me considering the fact that buying one's way out of it is illegal. From what I understood about that particular province is that it is possible to buy one's way out, but heaven help you and your wallet if it becomes known that the money is going to come from a "farang." In that province a boy apparently can buy his way out, but it all has to be done and arranged prior to the lottery. If he loses in the lottery and nothing has been prearranged, then he can start singing "You're In The Army Now" because that's what's going to happen.

 

Different provinces play the game in different ways. I suppose if you have a Thai boyfriend, then you have some decisions to make as well. If it is possible to buy his way out, is that what you want to do, or get involved with at all? Should he take his chances with the lottery like all the other boys? If you are going to buy his way out for him, can you be sure you are being told the truth about how much money you have to cough up?

 

I'm not so convinced that the pay-off price is as high as some are given to believe. Most of these boys come from poor farm families and very, very few have a "farang" to pay their way out. Where are they supposed to get that kind of money? My sense of logic tells me that the price is far less, so that at least enough of them can buy their way out to make it profitable for whoever gets the pay-off money. If only one or two can buy their way out, then that's not much profit for the corrupt officials when they could get a lot more if they charge less. Then again, since my sense of logic has nothing to do with it and Thai logic is the logic used, then your guess is as good as mine.