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 officers. 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 an officer 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 military officers 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 military officers also allegedly physically assaulted each conscript by slapping, punching, and kicking them. Some were assaulted to the point of unconsciousness. The trainers 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 military officers 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 soldier trainers if they were found guilty.