Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday urged Thai authorities to conduct criminal investigations into allegations that junior conscripts were routinely subjected to cruel and degrading treatment by their seniors in hazing rituals, a practice often defended as a way to “man up” recruits, but often results in lifelong trauma.
HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson commented on the severity of the situation facing new recruits, many of whom often suffer in silence due to fears of retaliation. She stated: “Concerned governments should raise the Thai government’s mistreatment of conscripts and its failure to criminally prosecute alleged torture during the review of Thailand’s human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council in November.”
Pearson cited the case of Private Panuwat, who appeared on a Thai media news report to share his experience of being beaten, whipped with belts, stripped naked, and burned with hot wax and a cigarette lighter. He alleged that the events happened to both him and other colleagues at the 1st King’s Guard Infantry Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, Marine Division in Chonburi province of eastern Thailand. Upon receiving news of his ordeal, the Royal Navy conducted an internal inquiry into the incident, which found that 15 conscripts were involved in perpetrating violence against Panuwat and his colleagues.
The individuals were subsequently detained for 30 days, and three other conscripts who did not intervene to stop the assault were detained for seven days. HRW decried the Royal Navy’s action of favoring internal disciplinary processes over pursuing criminal investigations, calling it a mechanism that prioritizes institutional autonomy over legal accountability.
In Thailand, all men aged 21 and older are mandated to register for military service, which is done either by volunteering or by drawing cards. Individuals who draw red cards have to become conscripts for a period of one to two years, whereas those who draw black cards are exempt from conscription. Amnesty International’s report detailed many incidents in which recruits were humiliated, being beaten with combat boots and helmets, slapped, and coerced into providing sexual favors. The report demonstrates that Panuwat’s case is not an isolated one. Conscripts also stated that individuals who were gay, or seen to be gay or effeminate by senior recruits, were repeatedly raped.
Conscripts have also passed away under mysterious circumstances. One such case was that of Phakhapong Tanyakan’s 2017 death following his enlistment. He was officially pronounced dead from heart failure by military authorities, but a second autopsy at his family’s request found broken ribs, fractured collarbones, extensive bruising, and missing internal organs. Other victims of hazing have suffered brain bleeds and collapsed lungs, while some have been reduced to a comatose state.
HRW stated that the military’s failure to open criminal investigations exists in direct contravention of Section 34 of Thailand’s Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act. Moreover, the rights group claimed that the list of abuses against recruits constitutes violations under the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Thailand is a party.
