Thailand military: the lovely conscripts
Thailand's military struggles with a flood of transgender draftees.
By Patrick Winn - GlobalPost
Published: October 8, 2010 06:44 ET in Asia
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/thailand/101007/military-conscription-transgender# (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/thailand/101007/military-conscription-transgender#)
BANGKOK, Thailand — It was conscription day in the outskirts of Bangkok. One by one, a young man's name would crackle over the loudspeaker and he would rise from the throng seated on the grass and strip for inspection.
Hiding amidst the 1,000-person crowd was Prempreeda Pramoj Na Ayutthaya, auburn locks hanging at her shoulders, face obscured by an umbrella held by her mother. When her name was called, she squeezed her mom's hand and stood, legs quivering, to step through the sea of stunned boys.