Most senior government officials and bureaucrats tend to fade away as they near retirement, but not Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, the outgoing commander of the 2nd Army Region which oversees security on the northeastern border with Cambodia.
The 60-year-old general has been making headlines with his speaking tour. Interestingly, most of his audiences have been school students who treated him like a rockstar.
By now, it’s undeniable that Lt Gen Boonsin has become the most recognized face of the Thai military. It’s rather unprecedented that a regional army commander would draw both attention and admiration to such extent.
His nationalistic tone in speeches has struck the right chord with large segments of society still concerned about the conflict with Cambodia. He has been advocating a hardline stance in the dealing with Cambodia.
One of his most quoted statements is, “No reopening of border checkpoints until the day I retire.”
And as the tensions between the two countries has escalated in recent days, it’s most likely that Lt Gen Boonsin would have his way even after he leaves the army at end of this month.
Critics, however, hold a different view of the general’s recent role. They see his speaking tour as an attempt by the military to use him—and the ongoing conflict with Cambodia—to burnish its image. His interactions with school audiences are also seen by these people as a brainwashing exercise.
Indeed, with his rhetoric and friendly style of speaking, Lt Gen Boonsin is considered to be successful in addressing the question, “What do we need the military for?”
It’s a question that young and liberal politicians, especially those belonging to the People’s Party and its predecessors, has been asking to highlight what they see as the military’s frequent interventions in politics.
Political observers believe that the soft-spoken general has successfully used the ongoing border conflict to cast the military in a positive light—something not seen in decades.
Judging by their reactions, it’s clear that most of his young audiences come away impressed by his nationalistic message and often light-hearted quips. Some openly see him as a hero.
In his most recent visit to a school in Khon Kaen province in the northeast, Lt Gen Boonsin shared with the students his thoughts on future warfare.
One student asked him whether a day would come when artificial intelligence replaces humans in conducting wars.
“Will AI replace humans so that soldiers will not have to die?” asked the student.
“What a brilliant question?” the general immediately responded with a smile.
Lt. Gen. Boonsin said that in the not-so-distant future, foot soldiers will be replaced by robots.
“There will be armies of robots. They will be robots with steel legs -- some two-legged, some four-legged, and some with track wheels,” he said.
He said soldiers will not be physically doing combat.
“The sky will be full of drones. No human soldiers will be visible because they will be handling command and control operations from underground,” he said.
He added: “Things will not be same. What you just asked will become reality.”
He then went on to urge Thai engineering students to develop their skills and help design AI-driven military technologies so that the country would not have to rely on imports.
Lt Gen Boonsin’s answer was greeted with a loud applause. And like at all the previous events, his audience wouldn’t let him leave without handshakes and selfies.
Thai media have noted that if there is one senior military figure that members of the Thai public can name these days, it certainly would be this tough-talking general who declared at the height of the border conflict: “This is my land. I have been here since time immemorial. Whoever wants to take it will be in for a fight.”
