Does a permanent DKBA soldier get a salary?
Yes, for soldiers who have a family they can get rations. For people who don’t have family they don’t get rations. If they need money for cigarettes, they can ask their commander. For the soldier who has family, if he has two children he will get one big tin of rice. If he has four children he will get one sack of rice. How many kinds of taxes did you have to pay to the DKBA? There are two or three kinds of taxes. When DKBA soldiers die they collect money and also when the villagers die they collect money. If we have money we can give 50 baht [US $1.50), if we don’t have we can give 15 or 20 baht [US $.45 or $.60]. And they also collect money for New Year. Before I joined the DKBA I always had to do forced labour. After I joined the military no one in my household needed to do forced labour. Were you happy being a soldier? No. I’m afraid to shoot a gun. I preferred my life while I was staying with my parents. Why did you escape? They always gave us orders. At nighttime we had to serve
