Last week, I believe it must have been heartbreaking for many Thais who watched a video clip of a young man weeping and almost fainting upon learning he was drafted to serve in the army for two years via the annual conscription round. Yet, I also believe that many of them would oppose any proposal to abolish military conscription, a phenomenon that has long existed by default.
Why oppose change? Ask them and you will get the same answer: It is the duty of patriotic Thai men to serve in the military. That answer is a product of information which was programmed into our minds since we were young. And that mind programming has turned conscription, a requirement under the 1954 Military Service Act, into an established nationalistic doctrine which has remained unchallenged and unchanged for decades.
Surasak Glahan is Deputy Editorial Pages Editor, Bangkok Post.
