Army says Stryker deal on hold while Covid-19 battle rages

By THE NATION

 

 

A military source confirmed on Wednesday (April 22) that the Army will not procure Stryker armoured vehicles this fiscal year, after Ordnance Department documents leaked online appeared to show the deal was going ahead.

 

The leaked documents said the Army planned to procure 50 armoured vehicles from the United States via its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.

 

Netizens responded by saying that the money for the Stryker vehicles should instead be spent on the far more urgent battle against Covid-19. In 2019, the Army struck a US$80-million (Bt2.6-billion) deal with the US to buy 60 Strykers.

 

The source said that Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong has cut 30 per cent of the Army’s budget to support the government’s efforts to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The source also said that numerous other weapon procurements had been suspended at this time. The Stryker deal, a project of fiscal year 2020, was moved to fiscal year 2021 and 2022 as part of the ongoing procurement programme between Thailand and the US.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30386544

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-04-22

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

fter Ordnance Department documents leaked online appeared to show the deal was going ahead.

Only after they got caught opening up the cookie jar to get a cookie. Nothing upstanding about that. 

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

The source also said that numerous other weapon procurements had been suspended at this time

Had been or will be? Does wasting tax payers' money when the public need it most only stop when your deals are exposed? 

 

So much for all that transparency that was promised. Anyhoo, time for officials to hunt down the whistle blowers. Sentence them for exposing gross negligence. 

 

 

By the looks of those you can already guess what they might be used for. 

1 minute ago, BobbyL said:

By the looks of those you can already guess what they might be used for. 

They will be very useful for monitoring the queues whilst handing out food in Pattaya and Bangkok

safety first chaps!

It's pretty hard to go begging to the 20 richest for help when you're wasting so much money on useless offensive military hardware that is not needed. ????

From what I understand a procurement plan for 4.5 Billion baht was published.
Netizens went crazy and so now they say it will be delayed for a year.
Oh and I think they are claiming it can't be canceled due to contract etc etc.

Hashtag #ยานเกราะพ่องง on Twitter

 

Edited April 22, 20206 yr by monkfish

19 hours ago, BobbyL said:

By the looks of those you can already guess what they might be used for. 

Stop the hungry peasants burning down Bangkok.

 

Even 2,000 years ago Rome worked out that the poor and out-of-work had to be fed, they were given free flour supplies each month to make bread and fill their bellies, the rulers knew that a hungry person was a dissatisfied person, and a dissatisfied person was a dangerous person.

Some free rice would go a long way.

History is a good lesson to be learnt, it often repeats when the same mistakes are made.

19 hours ago, GalaxyMan said:

It's pretty hard to go begging to the 20 richest for help when you're wasting so much money on useless offensive military hardware that is not needed. ????

Prayut has brass balls, I'll give him that. He's not asking them for money now after all of the backlash, he's asking them for ideas that they will implement themselves. Not ideas for the government to do/implement, mind you. What is parliament for if not to consult? Does he really think that they're there just to rubber stamp his incompetence? ????

5 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Stop the hungry peasants burning down Bangkok.

 

Even 2,000 years ago Rome worked out that the poor and out-of-work had to be fed, they were given free flour supplies each month to make bread and fill their bellies, the rulers knew that a hungry person was a dissatisfied person, and a dissatisfied person was a dangerous person.

Some free rice would go a long way.

History is a good lesson to be learnt, it often repeats when the same mistakes are made.

Unfortunately in today's greed and I look after myself first world, nobody in positions of government have taken any interest in history.

Thailands history curriculum is a joke.

So whats happened to the Ukrainian BRT-3 that were delivered to the Army, Navy and Marine Corps from 2010 to 2016. Wasn't it over 200 delivered. 

11 minutes ago, tso310 said:

So whats happened to the Ukrainian BRT-3 that were delivered to the Army, Navy and Marine Corps from 2010 to 2016. Wasn't it over 200 delivered. 

Most likely lying rusting somewhere, as they were never maintained.????

I thought they already reported a delivery of these vehicles.

 

2 minutes ago, Dap said:

I thought they already reported a delivery of these vehicles.

 

Yes that was my understanding, army boss being photoed at the handover, but it sounds good like they are doing something to help the country.

25 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Yes that was my understanding, army boss being photoed at the handover, but it sounds good like they are doing something to help the country.

"They" actually think that the population believes what they say. Whew! Talk about power clouding the ability to see. Prime examples.