Thousands of able-bodied men, between the ages of 21-29, born of migrant parents, have been answering the nationwide call up drive to serve in the Thai armed forces between 1-12 April. SHAN reports from Wiang Haeng, one of the seven districts of Chiangmai that shares a border with Burma’s Shan State.

The majority of youths have been only recently naturalized. “We
had to report to the district recruiting officer the same day we received our citizenship papers,” said a 26 year old Shan, one of three brothers, all of whom together with 200 others gathered at the district meeting hall on April 1.

(According to the law, a 17 year old male must report himself
to the recruiting officer to be registered as a reservist “kong kern” as soon as he reaches the age of 18.)

Ethnic Chinese, with their prominent physical features and last names like “sae Li” (Familiy name Li) and “sae Yang” (Family name Yang) stood out among them. With Shans it was difficult to differentiate them from the locals, were it not for their speaking Shan and bearing last names like “Jawng Hsu” and Loong Tun.”

All the reservists have to go through a standard five-step process:

   * Call out by name to present their papers (ID card, Saw Daw.9 or document showing he is a reservist, document summoning him to report on the recruiting day and other relevant documents like academic certificates)
   * Medical check up
   * Taking measurements (height over 160cm or 5’3” and chest over 76cm or 30”)
   * Drawing lots to look for the “lucky ones”
   * Those that draw “red” get their conscription notice: when and where he should report for training, and those that draw “black” get their release papers

One transvestite (a Karen) was rejected outright. Our Thai reporter was also released as his chest did not measure up thereby sparing SHAN the agony of finding a proper replacement. Of those who had passed the tests, 13 of them (seven were Shans) volunteered which in effect means they could choose which boot camps they would like to go to and could ask for their walking papers after serving one year. (The standard stretch is two years).

At 15:00, all the eligible reservists were recalled by the chief recruiting officer who explained that as the Thai Armed Forces was a small-seized one designed to be “leaner but meaner”, it could not accept all but only up to a pre-determined number. For this year, the Third Army that is the watchdog of the country’s northern sector is accepting 5,104 recruits and Wiang Haeng has been allotted 57. Thirteen had volunteered, so there remained only 44 to be taken out of the 132 who were gathered there.

Each was called out by name, drew his lot and waited for the
recruiting officer to unroll the lot and read out, while another officer helped him up by the waist “to keep him from collapsing when he gets the red one”. Fortunately none of the Shan youths, coming from a long line of armed resistance back in Burma’s Shan State, disgraced their parents.

On the way back home, the same Shan youth who along with two
of his brothers were recruited was overheard telling his mother, “I hope there isn’t a Saving Private Ryan situation for you, Mae (Mom).”

In the Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning movie, three of the four
Ryans, all sons of a widowed mother, were killed in action prompting General George Marshall to order the American Army fighting in France to bring back her sole surviving son alive.

“Oh, as long as you do your duty, I won’t worry about that,” his mother replied. “I only wish the Burmese Army follows the same procedure (in recruiting soldiers).”

Burma is notorious for its “child soldier” and “license to rape” practices.

Retired General Phon Wanakamol, a Thai of Shan descent, once told SHAN, “There are two debts of gratitude that require repaying: One of Chart Kamnerd (the race into which one is born) and Phaendin Thi Yu Arsai (the land where you live).”