Mixed-nationality boys and the Thai military draft

[HKNZ1]

Hi,
I'm looking for any personal experiences or actual knowledge of the processes around the Thai military draft for young men who have dual citizenship and/or are living overseas. My sons have Thai and NZ nationalities and will probably be living in NZ when they reach 18 (is it 18 for the draft?). I'm wondering a few things:
Are they required to return to Thailand to be part of the draft?
What if they are in the middle of university studies etc, can they come back later i.e. apply for a deferral of the draft?
Do they have to come back at all? If they don't come back at that time, but do come back later (say in their mid-20s) would they then be considered criminals for not coming back at the "right time"? Or just ignored?
Cheers for anything you might know or be able to share, or any pointers to useful resources around this! Admittedly my boys are a few years off this stage, but I'd like to know as much as possible ahead of time so we can put some thought into how to handle it.

 

[isanbirder]

I don't have direct experience, but I do have a friend with a 17-year-old mixed nationality son.

He is not required to return to Thailand for the draft, but will probably be put in the lottery if he's in Thailand (only a percentage are required to serve).

University students have their obligation deferred... and from those I know, most get away without doing the draft.

If he comes back later on an NZ passport, he will be ignored.

There's is always a slight element of uncertainty in the regulations, but that's Thailand.

 

[HKNZ1]

There's is always a slight element of uncertainty in the regulations, but that's Thailand.

Yes, that is very true! Too many times I have heard different versions of regulations/laws from different officials. It's just annoying and inconvenient when it's around paperwork, but it makes me very nervous when it's around big issues like a child of mine going into the Thai military for a period of time!!!
Thanks for posting.