Thai minister defends military spending spree

By Nopporn Wong-Anan BANGKOK

Thailand's post-coup defence minister defended a 24 percent hike in military spending on Friday and said the army was eyeing a $120 million purchase of Ukrainian-made armoured vehicles this year.

Boonrawd Somtas said the military needed new tanks, ships, fighter jets and helicopters after the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis had capped annual defence spending at 80 billion baht ($2.4 billion) in the past decade.

The defence budget for the current fiscal year to end-September was 115 billion baht, but that was not enough to buy new weapons, Boonrawd told Reuters in an interview.

snip

REUTERS

the more army spends the more backhands there is - and it's not only generals but politicians as well

It's the military's turn at the feeding trough now.

They all want a piece of the pie!

Nothin's changed.......

Greedy bxxxxxrds.......

TIT