PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's Cabinet approved a draft law on Thursday requiring Cambodian males aged 18 to 25 to serve two years in the military. The legislation will be sent to the National Assembly and the Senate for approval and will become law once King Norodom Sihamoni signs it.

The new draft conscription law will replace an existing law dating from 2006 that was never implemented and no longer addresses current and future needs, a government spokesperson said. The previous law specified 30 as the maximum call-up age.

Under the new measure, women will be allowed to serve in the military on a voluntary basis. The draft contains eight chapters and 20 articles. A government statement described military service as an essential duty and a great honor that allows the Cambodian people to contribute to national development and defend the motherland.

Prime Minister Hun Manet said in July last year that Cambodia would implement conscription this year. He said soldiers joining through conscription are more effective and professional than a voluntary force, and that conscription would be used to fill shortages and upgrade military capabilities.

The Cabinet's action follows two spates of deadly combat last year between Cambodia and Thailand over contending claims to territory along their shared border. About 100 Cambodian soldiers and civilians lost their lives in the clashes, and hundreds of thousands of people in both countries were displaced by the fighting. No new fighting has occurred since a December ceasefire between the two countries, though tensions remain high.