Military push in Asia: Amid tension with Thailand, Cambodia to conscript civilians from next year

Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Monday that Cambodia’s military will start enlisting citizens next year, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the basis for bringing back a long-dormant forced enlistment statute.

A 2006 law that mandated 18 months of military service for all Cambodians between the ages of 18 and 30 was adopted by the country’s parliament, but it has never been put into effect.

Since a long-running territorial dispute erupted into cross-border confrontations in May, killing one Cambodian soldier, relations with neighbouring Thailand have been strained.

“This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess, and set our targets to reform our military,” Hun Manet said.

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“From 2026, the military conscription law will be implemented,” he told a ceremony at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Centre in central Kampong Chhnang province.

Hun Manet said the service period would be extended from the 18 months outlined in the legislation passed two decades ago to 24 months, and pledged to “look at increasing” Cambodia’s defence budget.

“Our national defence, the building of our military, is not to invade anybody’s territory but it is to protect our territory,” he added.

The Cambodian soldier was killed by Thai troops in a firefight in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet.

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The incident soured relations between Phnom Penh and Bangkok – causing the closure of border crossings as Cambodia banned fuel and gas imports from Thailand.

It also caused a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct during the row.

A diplomatic call between Paeotongtarn and Hun Manet’s father, former leader Hun Sen, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation.

Neighbouring Thailand already has military conscription for young and able-bodied men, who enter a lottery to determine whether they have to serve.