Early April is the time of year when healthy Thai men, aged 21 to 30 and having never attended the Ror Dor military school, need to participate in the military draft. Since the process involves drawing a colored card that dictates one’s exemption from or admission to the military, there is quite a bit of anticipation surrounding the process.
In this YouTube video clip, uploaded on Apr. 4, a man seems very nervous about his lottery selection and later overjoyed after learning that he is exempted.
His reaction clearly displays a lack of enthusiasm at the prospect of joining the army. The drafting rule is that if he directly volunteers, he serves only for six months. Since he has elected to try his luck at the lottery, he faces either a two-year service term, if he draws a red-colored card, or an exemption, if he draws a black-colored card.
Check out the dramatic range of reactions he touches on in only a matter of two minutes:
