Nearly 50,000 men volunteered to enlist this year, according to the Royal Thai Army, a 22% increase compared with 2025 ...

Each spring, Thailand’s draft process places young men in a system that can determine months or years of their lives.

BANGKOK — Nearly 70 young Thai men sat on flimsy plastic chairs, faces tense as they waited to draw their fate from a jar — an annual ritual deciding whether they will serve in the military. The ...