Thai Army buys eight attack choppers for Bt12 bn from US

[geronimo]

Just now, essox essox said:

they gotta get the priorites CORRECT !!!

flooding and improvements for hospitals and the like take a back seat...

where are WE??

In a country that is run by the military ....

[kcpattaya]

TM30 invaders

[PEE TEE]

Another plan to get rid of illegals and overstayers   

[essox essox]

10 minutes ago, Farang99 said:

More toys for the boys - and what happened to those submarines?

they are all in the sea thats why you can not sea them !!!

[geronimo]

1 minute ago, essox essox said:

they are all in the sea thats why you can not sea them !!!

I heard they are being used to check scuba divers' visas off Koh Tao ....

[essox essox]

3 minutes ago, geronimo said:

In a country that is run by the military ....

very true.....

[Nowisee]

Maybe this is plan B by China?      
In 2 years will you'll see the same helicopter being made in and sold by China? 

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, weegee said:

Are they maintenance free?....

Maintenance in Thailand, are you new here?

[catch104]

12 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

Gotta keep those citizens in check.

but no money for the elderly to fund basic survival needs...  

[geronimo]

In her defence, Thailand is no different to most countries re military spending.

[pops1]

Watching a Thai trying to operate an up to date Arial radar device would be a great afternoons entertainment. 

[geronimo]

GRETA THUNBERG ROCKS!!!!

 

It is time we stopped the greedy politicians from passing bills that allow their corporate funders to continue to suck the very life out of the planet!!! Rant over!

[digger70]

That sounds great.With them choppers and all the other toys and the armoured vehicles they bought they now can fight the insurgents down here in the south. They have been going at it since 1948. It's time to get Serious with them.

[Srikcir]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai Army buys eight attack choppers for Bt12 bn from US

Recall this statement from Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (August 2019):

https://news.thaivisa.com/article/38890/public-health-minister-vows-to-keep-universal-healthcare-scheme-unchanged

• the government will proceed with maintaining healthcare coverage as it is, so people should not be worried about co-payments. 
• Don’t think that you will get free treatment under the healthcare scheme or that you can afford to pay for treatment, because in the end you are the ones who are suffering. 

Or this from the Education Development Foundation Thailand:

https://www.edfthai.org/en/

• From 1988 to 2018, with continuing support from caring donors both in Thailand and abroad, EDF has delivered scholarships to the total number of 373,414 disadvantaged students in more than 5,500 rural schools covering 61 provinces throughout Thailand.
• According to the recent scholarship fundraising result of the 1st Term/2019 donation period (October 1st 2018 to May 31st 2019), the accumulated number of 8,015 scholarship donations had been received which comprises; 6,666 scholarships for poor lower secondary students, 729 scholarships for poor upper secondary/vocational students, 344 scholarships for students with disabilities, 245 scholarships for orphaned students affected from the unrest in the 3 southernmost provinces and 21 scholarships for university students.

And this (paraphrasing) from a Bangkok University poll (May 2019):

• Over 50% of parents in Bangkok and surrounding provinces say they are struggling to buy supplies and pay tuition fees
• 38% of parents said the state subsidy does not satisfy the actual expenses of sending a child to school
• 41.1% felt that learning materials are too expensive

Since the military coup in 2014 to date, the military has benefited from over a trillion baht in defense spending. Don't think that Thai People's healthcare or education (among many other societal needs) requirements take priority over the military's unfettered demand for acquisitions that seems driven by the military's greatest threat - social equality in Thailand.

[dutchman]

Maybe that is why the strong bath is manipulated in order buy them more cheap

[Seeall]

11 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Exports down,Tourists Down,Growth down,

But they keep on spending like a drunken sailor,

money that could be spent on hospitals,schools,

infrastructure ,so the electric isn't always going off.

anyway,looking at the past,they are only going to crash them.

regards worgeordie

 

 

well said.. but the military keep county safe... whist economilly it die.... no brain sure.. dont care... get salary all good....

[Elkski]

Why?  A uprising  expected?

[varun]

Actual selling price of helicopters and other equipment = 8 billion THB

Remaining 4 billion THB is for:
 

Somchai cronie fund

Mia-noi fund

Chubby's designer watch fund

 

[Lacessit]

There's the sale. Then there's the follow-up of training, maintenance and spares. The USA does quite well out of selling toys for boys.

[spidermike007]

The anti tank missiles are imperative against the potential invading columns of tanks from either Cambodia or Burma. And they will also aid in protecting the super valuable shrimp farms, and rubber plantations, once India makes an air assault to gain possession of them. There are countless needs for these kinds of armaments, if you really examine the geopolitical position of Thailand, and the intense desire of the neighbors to take over possession of their great treasures, and natural resources. Not to mention Vietnam wanting the gas platforms in the Gulf. The nation must ready itself. And the army must continue to justify it's existence to the people. Otherwise, the people might think the army is utterly useless. 

[dallen52]

12 hours ago, BestB said:

How to stay in power for ever in Thailand? make army happy and this is what has been happening with all the latest purchases.

The people are starving. 

But hey, they didn't vote for this mob.

 

Keep the big boys happy. 

[Brickbat]

War is the world’s biggest business! And the US are the Masters 

It’s a crazy world when President Carter ) says he prays Donny won’t use nuclear weapons.

[jaiyen]

This is probably only being done to keep the top army brass on the governments side. Buy them toys for to keep them loyal

[mikebell]

According to one source reporting in the BKK Post the deal is nearly 50% over the list prices.

[bender92]

I'm glad they didn't buy Chinese junk.

[ThePioneer]

11 minutes ago, mikebell said:

According to one source reporting in the BKK Post the deal is nearly 50% over the list prices.

You confuse source with a barstool expert in the comment section

[hotchilli]

Ex military running the government and budget it's what we knew would happen.... money to burn instead of boosting the economy or even giving it to the people in the form of health care... something useful instead of toys!

[JUAinBKK]

Great move economically.  Security overrides all other needs.  Make the people feel safe, they will be happy enough to stay and support (especially the established nationalist).  Second (presently) is the economy, which will make them happy and adds or subtracts from security and must be properly balanced to quell a riot.  I suspect (added after review)...The U.S. and Singapore have turned their focus on Thailand.  I would not be surprised to see a growth of a U.S. presence.  The counter balance..... China and of course the out of control Thai Customs Office.

[Bangkok Barry]

Serious questions need to be asked by the citizens of Thailand as to where the threat to their country is coming from. Obviously there must be one, or why buy the attack helicopters. If the country is under threat then the public should be made aware of it.

Unless they have been purchased in case they need to be used against their own citizens. Whichever, the Thai people should be extremely concerned.

[Elzear]

Well, it is easier to buy killing machines than machines to save lives. You can play war games but peace games ain’t no games, they’re for real. Too much hassle.