PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodia’s overhauled military conscription framework, which carries criminal penalties of up to five years behind bars for people who refuse mandated military service, officially entered into force on Monday, according to Prime Minister Hun Manet. The new law was formally signed into effect this past Saturday by Senate President Hun Sen, who stepped in as acting head of state while Cambodia’s monarch King Norodom Sihamoni receives ongoing medical care for prostate cancer in Beijing. The push to update the country’s decades-old draft rules comes on the heels of two deadly outbreaks of cross-border armed clashes with neighboring Thailand last year, a series of conflicts that claimed roughly 100 lives and forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes near the shared border.
Structured across eight chapters and 20 individual articles, the updated regulation replaces a 2006 conscription law that was never put into practice and had long been labeled outdated by policymakers. Under the new guidelines, all Cambodian men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to complete a two-year active service term in the national military, while female citizens are eligible to enlist on a voluntary basis. Recipients of conscription summons are legally mandated to report for processing within 30 days of receiving their official notice, unless they can demonstrate a qualified, legitimate exemption; failure to meet this requirement results in being formally classified as a draft evader.
Penalties for evasion are tiered based on whether the nation is in a state of peace or active conflict. During peacetime, convicted evaders face between six months and two years of imprisonment, plus financial fines ranging from $250 to $1,000. If the country is at war or facing an imminent foreign incursion, the penalties jump to 2 to 5 years in prison and fines between $1,000 and $2,500.
A narrow set of groups qualify for permanent exemptions from the mandatory service requirement, including Buddhist monks, recognized religious clergy, people with permanent disabilities, and individuals holding high-demand specialized skills in science and technology. After completing their mandatory active service, conscripts transition to the national military reserve force and remain eligible for reserve activation until they turn 45 years old.
Speaking to Cambodian lawmakers earlier in October, Prime Minister Hun Manet framed the new law as a critical institutional foundation for nurturing national identity among young Cambodians, encouraging love of country, building a culture of patriotism, and cultivating a widespread willingness to serve the nation’s defense needs. This policy shift comes as Cambodia continues to navigate lingering regional border tensions and seeks to strengthen its national defense capabilities following last year’s deadly clashes.