PHNOM PENH: Cambodian lawmakers approved on Tuesday (May 12) a military conscription law that lengthens the period of mandatory service and increases penalties for those refusing to join, following deadly border clashes with Thailand last year.
Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours have been tense since fighting in July and December that killed dozens of people and displaced more than a million.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said just ahead of the vote on Tuesday that conscription would begin this year because it was "necessary to build up troops to protect the nation".
Parliament approved a conscription law in 2006 that required Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it was never enforced.
The new law increases the period of service to two years, while reducing the age range of conscripted recruits to 18 to 25.
Anyone who refuses to serve will face up to two years in jail during peacetime, up from one year previously.
Those evading service during wartime could be jailed for up to five years, according to a copy of the new law. The previous penalty was up to three years in jail.
Several young Cambodians said they supported the law.
"I am ready to serve in the military, although my mother may object to it," high school student Menghav told AFP.
"Because I am not happy with Thailand," added the 18-year-old, who requested his full name not be published.
All 114 members of the National Assembly, including Hun Manet, voted to adopt the law during a legislative session, parliament said in a statement.
Cambodia and Thailand have been at odds for decades over the demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, a legacy of the French colonial era.
The two countries signed a truce deal in late December but tensions remain high.
Cambodia, which is outgunned and outspent by Thailand's military, says Thai forces captured several areas in border provinces and has demanded their withdrawal.
Thailand says its forces are controlling its own territory that Cambodians had occupied for years.
Hun Manet told lawmakers that Cambodia needed the new law because the country's sovereignty was "being threatened".
"It's necessary to increase the number of young troops who are energised," he said. - AFP
