Back to the matter of female soldiers: at present they account for 25% of military personnel both at the Defence Ministry and the Royal Thai Armed Forces. Almost all of them have non-combat duties.

One common characteristic among female officers which does not escape notice is that many of them are good-looking.

A source in the army said that since female officers are often assigned administrative or secretariat jobs in which they have to meet a lot of people, their appearance must be taken into account.

These “administrative jobs” include serving as receptionists or carrying trays for high-level commanders at ceremonies.

Female officers with a good command of English are assigned to work as translators or interpreters for their superiors or to serve as emcees at functions held by the military.

For many, the pinnacle of a female officer’s career is to be a news anchor at the army-controlled TV Channel 5, a job which almost certainly brings instant recognition. But to get there, they need not only the ability to do the job but also all kinds of support – the right connections and support from higher-ups.

BangkokDan