Cambodia activates draft law amid Thai border tensions

May 13 (Asia Today) -- Cambodia has passed a revised conscription law extending mandatory military service to two years, activating a draft system that had remained dormant for nearly two decades.

Cambodia's National Assembly approved the bill Tuesday with unanimous support from all 114 lawmakers, including Prime Minister Hun Manet, according to Khmer Times and Agence France-Presse.

Hun Manet said conscription would begin this year, arguing that Cambodia needed to strengthen its military as its sovereignty faced threats.

The revised law increases mandatory service from 18 months to 24 months. It also narrows the age range for conscription from 18 to 30 to 18 to 25.

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Those who refuse military service during peacetime could face up to two years in prison, up from one year. Penalties for draft evasion during wartime were increased from a maximum of three years to five years.

Cambodia first passed a conscription law in 2006 requiring citizens ages 18 to 30 to serve for 18 months. But the system was never implemented because no enforcement decree was issued, and the country continued to rely on voluntary recruitment.

The move comes after Cambodia and Thailand clashed twice last year along their disputed border, leaving dozens dead and more than 1 million people displaced.

The conflict stems from unresolved sections of the 500-mile border drawn during the French colonial period. Cambodia and Thailand have disputed control of several border areas for decades.

A cease-fire was reached in late December, but tensions remain. Cambodia says Thai troops continue to occupy parts of the border area and has demanded their withdrawal. Thailand says it merely recovered territory that Cambodians had occupied for years.

Hostility remains visible among younger Cambodians.

-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260513010003192