"Nightmare looms for transgender Thais at army draft."

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A group of young transgender Thais sits together in women's clothes behind rows of men, waiting for military officers to call their names and decide whether they must be drafted as soldiers.

"I was born male, so I must be here, as duty calls," said Kanphitcha Sungsuk, 21, in a cream-colored dress, holding up a mirror to check her make-up and long black hair.

Thailand is widely seen as a paradise for gay and transgender people, but many complain of being treated as second-class citizens and the obligation to respond to the draft can be a nightmare when they turn 21.

"Most are stressed and worried that they will be undressed, stared at, or humiliated in public," said Jetsada Taesombat, executive director of the Thai Transgender Alliance for Human Rights.

"Some are so stressed out they want to commit suicide to avoid conscription."

A conscript's death following a beating by soldiers this week highlights the brutality of army life that many men want to avoid. Conscription can also mean serving in the south, where Muslim Malay separatists are fighting an insurgency.

Exemptions are made for those who are physically or mentally incapable. They are also made for trangender women, but only if they can prove that they are not faking it.

A doctor takes them to a private room, or behind a wall, to see whether they have breasts or have undergone a sex change.

Transgender women say the reference to a disorder stigmatizes them, although the army has softened its description from the previous "permanent mental disorder" and says it has improved the way they are treated.

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