Just now, robblok said:

They are experts in corruption and buy stuff based on what yields the best options for corruption.

 

They are certainly not tank experts.. and yes I know about the bomb detector. 

So what’s your point? 

 

Again, the people buying the tanks are unlikely to be tank experts. Therefore, they may well be buying them thinking they are a good tool for protestors.

 

Skim money from the deals AND intimidate protestors. 

4 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

So what’s your point? 

 

Again, the people buying the tanks are unlikely to be tank experts. Therefore, they may well be buying them thinking they are a good tool for protestors.

 

Skim money from the deals AND intimidate protestors. 

The point is that tanks are not good crowd control tools, but you seem to think that the people buying them thinks they are. That might be so but they are not. 

 

Someone mentioned this saying they were good for crowd control, i just disputed that.

 

I did not dispute that the people who bought them might think otherwise, though IMHO its all about skimming money and not crowd control in their head. Just look at their purchases in the past including the bomb detectors. They seem to buy all kind of stuff that usually does not match what they already have creating maintenance problems and such. So i think not much thought is ever put into the usability of what they buy, just about the commission they receive. 

A baiting troll post and reply have been removed

1 minute ago, robblok said:

The point is that tanks are not good crowd control tools, but you seem to think that the people buying them thinks they are. That might be so but they are not. 

 

Someone mentioned this saying they were good for crowd control, i just disputed that.

 

I did not dispute that the people who bought them might think otherwise, though IMHO its all about skimming money and not crowd control in their head. Just look at their purchases in the past including the bomb detectors. They seem to buy all kind of stuff that usually does not match what they already have creating maintenance problems and such. So i think not much thought is ever put into the usability of what they buy, just about the commission they receive. 

“That might be so but they are not”

 

That’s completely your own contradictory opinion. 

 

I saw tanks on the streets during the 2006 coup. Whether they were there to intimidate, or whether they were there just for s**** and giggles, they were there. And I’m sure we’ll see them again if there are big protests or another coup. 

Getting ready for the next Coup

7 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

“That might be so but they are not”

 

That’s completely your own contradictory opinion. 

 

I saw tanks on the streets during the 2006 coup. Whether they were there to intimidate, or whether they were there just for s**** and giggles, they were there. And I’m sure we’ll see them again if there are big protests or another coup. 

Maybe I should have written it more clearly, the people buying MIGHT think they are good for crowd control, but in reality they are not. Not my opinion that of real experts.

 

Yes tanks are still used to intimidate people but if people are determined then tanks just won't work. They work ok for people who are NOT determined enough. Problem with tanks is the drivers, more often then not they refuse to drive over someone and when it happens you get the worst possible media backlash ever. To see how bad tanks are look at Tienanmen how a single protester blocked them. More examples are during Hungary its depart from the USSR block. 

 

So yes they might deter some people but if people set their minds to it they are useless.

 

Not saying we won't see them. 

They, the Thai military, whose job description I would have thought would be something like defending the country from foreign invasion (discuss who that might be), have to have the new toys, its like shopping for handbags or watches and yet apart from a brief skirmish in the 1940's when did the Thai military see any action? Oh I forgot when they moved against the Thais, something of a regular occurrence over time the only time they can claim to have been in action, you could not make it up.

 They want people to vote for them when they buy weaponry  rather than improve the country in some way, brilliant tactics to ensure victory.

16 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

here is a training film to go with the state of the art tanks.

 

They dont make training videos like that anymore

1

 

There are lots of kids that would benefit in this country from that amount of money being wasted

And they expect people to vote for these clowns 

Edited January 19, 20197 yr by ChipButty

I wonder why the Chinese win all these contracts ????

1 minute ago, ChipButty said:

There are lots of kids that would benefit in this country from that amount of money being wasted

That requires a heart

2 minutes ago, robblok said:

Maybe I should have written it more clearly, the people buying MIGHT think they are good for crowd control, but in reality they are not. Not my opinion that of real experts.

 

Yes tanks are still used to intimidate people but if people are determined then tanks just won't work. They work ok for people who are NOT determined enough. Problem with tanks is the drivers, more often then not they refuse to drive over someone and when it happens you get the worst possible media backlash ever. To see how bad tanks are look at Tienanmen how a single protester blocked them. More examples are during Hungary its depart from the USSR block. 

 

So yes they might deter some people but if people set their minds to it they are useless.

 

Not saying we won't see them. 

And again, whether they work as a tool against protestors or not, it doesn’t matter. If the people buying them think they work as a good tool, posters are well within their rights to post their opinion that they’re being bought for future protestors.

 

They bought bomb detectors that weren’t bomb detectors, for heaven’s sake. Even after they were were told what they really were, they continued using them.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

I wonder why the Chinese win all these contracts ????

Let governments buy them on the never never

4 minutes ago, car720 said:

because they understand the art of face.

More like bribe.

21 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Let governments buy them on the never never

With a substantial personal contribution as well to a private account in the Bank of China.

This is the stupidest argument I have ever heard. Cost Vs Value. Does anyone think that the Chinese tanks will still be in service in 40 years? I think not. 

 

The only reason they didn't buy American or Western is that these companies won't pay bribes to tinpot dictators. 

48 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

I wonder why the Chinese win all these contracts ????

should say Chinese government because all their ""so called independent/public/owner operated"" companies belong to the CCP thus western public companies have no negotiating power or back up to compete with the CCP companies....

I said it once, I said it twice and will say it the 3rd time.... Thailand was warned, they are coming for you, it started with travel agencies, mafia, students, etc., and now the tanks, same way it started in the south china sea... colonization process

25 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

This is the stupidest argument I have ever heard. Cost Vs Value. Does anyone think that the Chinese tanks will still be in service in 40 years? I think not. 

 

The only reason they didn't buy American or Western is that these companies won't pay bribes to tinpot dictators. 

M41 Walker Bulldog tank manufactured in 1951 by Polish workers in Hamtramckc Michigan.  They don't make em like that anymore.  Below recent photo Bangkok.

Edited January 19, 20197 yr by marcusarelus

THAILAND as well as most if not all ASEAN MEMBERS live in harmony and no external threat (unless CHINA TRIES)

Therefore no need for Tanks at all unless for show. How much is the deal and who is involved? Will COSTS be discussed in parliament ....????????

Fifty tanks , just what Thailand needed.

They have AI, meaning the Chinese can remotely operate them should the need arise

3 hours ago, Snow Leopard said:

This is the stupidest argument I have ever heard. Cost Vs Value. Does anyone think that the Chinese tanks will still be in service in 40 years? I think not. 

 

The only reason they didn't buy American or Western is that these companies won't pay bribes to tinpot dictators. 

They will not be in service 40 months from when they arrive.

3 hours ago, Mavideol said:

I said it once, I said it twice and will say it the 3rd time.... Thailand was warned, they are coming for you, it started with travel agencies, mafia, students, etc., and now the tanks, same way it started in the south china sea... colonization process

Only one country in the region that is threatening to invade the others. And that is the country they bought the tanks from.

Maybe this might help them decide: New Weapon Designed By Russian Inventor Demonstrating Of Destroying US, Israel and Russian Tanks.webloc

“China is now at the forefront of military technology,” the spokesman said. “They even have AI. We should stop looking down on them.”

 

Well I agree with the last sentence. Kind of shows one how these special gov't officials regard others.

 

Mind you, lately, I am looking down on them!

Edited January 19, 20197 yr by 300sd

8 hours ago, PatOngo said:

I think you miss the point, tanks are essential for the military to suppress opposition, crowds and protest and they are more than handy for taking over democratically elected govt's. That's the only time they are paraded.

Yes. The Thai military and their tanks are not there to protect the Thai people from enemies from without; they are there to protect the faux-elite from 'enemies' from within (i.e. the Thai people)! They are there to frighten and intimidate.

All show - but with a nasty threat of REAL violence behind them ....

 

Edited January 19, 20197 yr by Eligius

Thailand's Armys only real purpose is to protect the rich from the poor. The tanks will roll into Esaan when Suthep Thaugsuban next wants to supress Red Shirt demands for democracy & political equality. Elite  power must be maintained at all costs, even if it comes out of the barrel of a tank cannon.

5 hours ago, Mavideol said:

I said it once, I said it twice and will say it the 3rd time.... Thailand was warned, they are coming for you, it started with travel agencies, mafia, students, etc., and now the tanks, same way it started in the south china sea... colonization process

I think it's common knowledge that the Chinese came for Thailand a long time ago. Most of the major businesses in the Kingdom are Sino-Thai controlled all the way from C.P. down. The power in the country is held mainly in Bangkok and probably Chiang Mai. After all, Uncle Thaksin was of Chinese ancestry bless him.

A point that seems to be missing from all the previous posts re the tanks (and also the new subs) is that these weapon systems are NOT in service with ANY other country (including China).

The Tanks are purely designed for export and are not in service anywhere else.  The submarines they are buying are a redesign of a Chinese made export design, only sold to Pakistan, that they have  now claimed to have "modified" (no one has published what these so called mods are) for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN).  The RTN have not even confirmed if they have Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) or if the Combat/AIO system is compatible with anything else in the RTN.

The biggest problems for any small, or large, military are reliability, commonality and support.  Thailand buys new and unproven weapon systems from a plethora of countries rather that relying on a few reliable countries/suppliers.

Training, interoperability with each service, never mind inter service/allies, support and logistics must be both a nightmare and horrendously expensive in all sorts of wastage.

 

I have not even started on the requirement (if any) or the suitability (if any) of either system for this country!
 

Edited January 19, 20197 yr by scottiejohn