Drill sergeants get rained on: 45 days in jail and pensions revoked

The Royal Thai Army (RTA) sentenced two soldier drill sergeants to 45 days of imprisonment and revoked their pensions for ordering ten conscripts to stand naked in the rain. Their commander was also punished with 15 days of confinement.

A younger sister of one of the conscripts urged non-profit organisation, Saimai Survive, to seek justice for her brother and the other conscripts. She also shared a picture of the conscripts standing naked in the rain to the public, which went viral on Thai social media.

The inappropriate punishment was reportedly carried out by two soldier drill sergeants, identified only as Sergeant Major First Class Ch., and Corporal A., at the Ban Nor Lae Thailand-Myanmar Border Military Base in the northern province of Chiang Mai.

The RTA conducted a further investigation into the matter and reported yesterday, August 7, that the punishment was administered due to the wrongdoing of some conscripts in the group. However, this kind of punishment was considered excessive and violated RTA rules, so the two drill sergeants must face consequences.

The RTA clarified the conscripts’ wrongdoing, stating that in the first case, some conscripts sneaked out of the military premises and engaged in adulterous activities with locals. In the second case, one conscript showed dissatisfaction during a drug test, prompting suspicions about his drug use.

Despite the reasons for the punishment, the RTA stated that making the conscripts stand naked in the rain was unreasonable. Consequently, the two drill sergeants will be detained at a military prison for 45 days, and their pensions will be revoked. Their commander will also be confined for 15 days for his recklessness.

The RTA insisted that the military places importance on supervising each military unit, as supervision involves not only strict discipline but also the commanding skills of each leader.

ORIGINAL STORY: Viral image of naked Thai conscripts in rain sparks investigation

The Minister of Defence ordered an investigation into the punishment of conscripts at a Royal Thai Army (RTA) base in the northern province of Chiang Mai, following a viral image on Thai social media showing ten naked conscripts standing in the rain.

A Thai woman sought help from the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive after her older brother and other conscripts were brutally assaulted and inappropriately punished by two drunk military drill sergeants. The incident reportedly occurred at the Ban Nor Lae Thailand-Myanmar Border Military Base in Chiang Mai.

The woman shared a photo with the organisation depicting her brother and other conscripts being punished. The image showed a drill sergeant standing in front of ten naked conscripts, their clothes discarded on the ground.

The woman explained that the photo was taken on August 1. Two intoxicated drill sergeants woke ten conscripts in the middle of the night, forced them to remove their clothes, and ordered them to stand still in the rain for over six hours.

The two drill sergeants also allegedly physically assaulted each conscript by slapping, punching, and kicking them. Some were assaulted to the point of unconsciousness. The drill sergeants punished these conscripts whenever they were drunk and sometimes continued the assaults even when the conscripts were unconscious.

The woman added that her family in the Isaan province of Buriram was too poor to fight for her brother’s justice and hoped Saimai Survive would help her.

RTA promises justice

Saimai Survive’s official Facebook page shared the story and tagged the official page of the Ministry of Defence in the post, demanding officials clarify the matter and find a sustainable solution to this recurring issue.

One of the conscripts in the photo, whose identity was undisclosed, told Matichon that the two drill sergeants were Sergeant Major First Class Ch. and Corporal A. They returned to the military base from a party outside between 10pm and 11pm and would wake the conscripts for unreasonable punishment.

According to the conscript, the two officers accused them of using drugs on the premises but he and his colleagues denied that this was the case. They had been punished in this way seven times before.

The Minister of Defence, Suthin Lungsang, responded to the issue and asked the RTA to conduct a further investigation into the case.

“Those who violate the laws and military rules must be punished according to the military regulations. We will bring justice to the victims. Each army commander must take this issue seriously.”

The RTA also released an official announcement regarding the investigation into the case and promised to punish the drill sergeants if they were found guilty.