Thai Army Bases Selling Cheap Food to Public
By Khaosod English


Army officers selling cheap food to the public [photo provided by the Royal Thai Army]

BANGKOK - The Royal Thai Army has announced that some military bases are now offering low-cost food to the public.

Col. Sirichan Ngathong, an army spokesperson, said today that army bases in Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopburi, Prachinburi, Sa Kaeo, and Chonburi are participating in the program so far, while other military camps around the country are expected to join soon.

"It is an option for people to buy food at a special price, which is cheaper than the market price," Col. Sirichan said, adding that each dish costs around 10 - 20 baht. Staple food dishes in Thailand normally cost 30 - 40 baht per serving.

According to Col. Sirichan, the army bases are offering noodle dishes, basil fried rice, curry rice, fried rice with pork, and omelettes with rice.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1437116446


-- Khaosod English 2015-07-17

So the army are branching out into retail...

What next.... 7-11's with camouflage signs so you drive straight past them without noticing them..

Edited July 17, 201510 yr by djjamie

There will always be people who have nothing good to say or have some smartass remarks to make about the army. But to the poorer people who can buy their food cheap, this is a good thing.

If you want to take a country, you must capture the hearts and minds.

So the army are branching out into retail...

What next.... 7-11's with camouflage signs so you drive straight past them without noticing them..

It's called helping the people, this is a good thing they are doing...One of the best things I have seen in LOS.

Edited July 17, 201510 yr by doggie1955

There will always be people who have nothing good to say or have some smartass remarks to make about the army. But to the poorer people who can buy their food cheap, this is a good thing.

So who is subsidising this? The army or the General population through taxes?

Of course it looks good on the army and I have no doubt it is appreciated, but its hardly coming out of army personnel money as some kind of benevolent act!

There will always be people who have nothing good to say or have some smartass remarks to make about the army. But to the poorer people who can buy their food cheap, this is a good thing.

So who is subsidising this? The army or the General population through taxes?

Of course it looks good on the army and I have no doubt it is appreciated, but its hardly coming out of army personnel money as some kind of benevolent act!

It is probably "self funding".

There will always be people who have nothing good to say or have some smartass remarks to make about the army. But to the poorer people who can buy their food cheap, this is a good thing.

So who is subsidising this? The army or the General population through taxes?

Of course it looks good on the army and I have no doubt it is appreciated, but its hardly coming out of army personnel money as some kind of benevolent act!

Even selling the food at a discount like that, I very much doubt they're losing money. Or at very worst, they're breaking even. So yes it is a benevolent act that probably isn't costing anyone.

I'm sure the local vendors will be happy with this public service or not.

I would suspect the people around army bases are a lot better off than the real poor Thai's.

If the general really wants to win "Harts and Minds" how about mobile field kitchens visiting the real impoverished areas of Thailand...

Cheap foot long submarine sandwiches?

I think the army officer to the left is eating too many leftovers!

There will always be people who have nothing good to say or have some smartass remarks to make about the army. But to the poorer people who can buy their food cheap, this is a good thing.

Well, you are absolutely right. This is good for the poor people, especially those farmers affected by the drought, but I doubt farmers are driving to these bases for food; still it will hopefully help some poor people.

However, this can also have a negative impact on mom and pop restaurants that will lose customers. These programs are never well thought out.

Sort of expecting this.

Why not keep the military focused on defense and have social programs that provide food and other assistance where needed?

Where is this food coming from? I have been told by squaddies that their families have to bring them food in from home because the slop dished up to them is inedible...

Cheap food sometimes equals cheap quality.

Once again, Thai Government/Military pretending to care.

Taxpayers paying for food created from taxpayers..........the army is so kind!

It's a PR campaign that will run out of steam (and funds) within 30 days. Watch this space. Anything to detract from the realities of the problems facing the country will be coming thick and fast.

This is all so wrong to have the army base use for selling food. What is Prayuth thinking. No army base will compromise their security for such cheap PR publicity. Don't soldiers have better things to do like training? Give the selling to the village or tambon chiefs. Even better, give the cheap food to hardship farmers to earn some money. Just ludicrous and cheap publicity.

There will always be people who have nothing good to say or have some smartass remarks to make about the army. But to the poorer people who can buy their food cheap, this is a good thing.

Tell that to the street sellers who are being undersold by a government department that has wholesale buying power.

Hope it helps the poor

If you want to take a country, you must capture the hearts and minds.

And stomachs

I'm sure the local vendors will be happy with this public service or not.

Exactly, these idiots are taking the livelihoods away from local sellers that usually just manage to scrape a living selling noodles, it is only the poor people trying to scratch a living that these self serving fools are spoiling it for, they are not going to hurt 7/11 or any restaurants. Complete fools the lot of them.

Sort of expecting this.

Ah, Meals Ready to Eat, or as they were known in the British Army " Meals Rejected by Ethiopians "

You could shit through the eye of a needle at a hundred paces after a week on those!☺

Once again fiddling with the market. So normal retailers will be hurt obviously by cheap food subsidised by taxpayers. When will they learn??

They probably need extra income for the renovation of attitude adjustment cells.

but we need subs ...

beware the hand that feeds you the other hand may smite you down .