Lite Beer Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Large scale handgun purchase under police welfare scheme approved by PM BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has signed approval for the Royal Thai Police's scheme to procure over 150,000 Swiss-made Sig Sauer automatic pistols for official and personal uses by police officers. Royal Thai Police commissioner Pol Gen Somyot Poompunmuong has revealed recently that the prime minister has signed approval of the purchase proposed by him under the police welfare scheme.He said under the welfare scheme, the royal Thai Police will place direct order to purchase a total of 152,468 9 mm SIG Sauer Model P 320 pistols from manufacturer in the United States.Under the welfare condition, police officers placing the purchase order must not transfer ownership of the pistols to other persons, except through inheritance of ownership.The scheme has earlier been endorsed by the interior minister Gen Anupong Paochinda, and deputy prime minister for security affairs Gen Pravit Wongsuwan.The Royal Thai Police is required to process and finish the procurenent within 36 months after the approval.Pol Gen Somyot has pushed forward the welfare scheme after the over 150,000 police officers have formally confirmed their purchase order of the 9 mm Sig Sauer P320 pistols.The scheme is aimed at procuring high quality pistols for police use at low price at their own costs.Earlier the national police chief disclosed that representatives of Sig Sauer has arrived for talk of the order and they agreed to sell at only 18,000 baht apiece.He said market price of the pistol is over 70,000 baht included tax, but the offered price is lower because it is a direct approach with the gun manufacturer.He said his earlier request for 30% exemption of tax for the gun was rejected by the Finance Ministry with reason that the gun is bought for personal use and is a personal property, therefore the import tax could not be exempted.But Pol Gen Somyot insisted that although the gun is bought as personal property by police officer, but it is also used by officer for official service. Therefore the tax should be exempted, he said.He said he would also seek approval from the prime minister over the issue, as he saw this was necessary to help the police with low income to have high quality guns for use.Price of legal gun is very high due to various reasons, significantly the limited quota system a year for importer though demand is very high.A .38 Smith & Wesson revolver sold for less than 5,000 baht three decades ago is now sold over 100,000 baht. -- Thai PBS 2015-09-19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Jones Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Retirement present like a Gold Watch to Police Chief but here its commission of 150,000 guns + cut of the old guns thats gonna be sold to various criminals - the safety here getting worse by the day ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrrizzla Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 See now this is where the junta sycophants "general prayuth is the best PM in 20 years!" brown nosing falls flat. The Thai police force needs stripped from top to bottom. A complete overhaul as it is rotten to the very core, but what does he do? Signs a paper allowing them lots of fancy new guns. It begs belief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajae Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 wonder if they will make the ones that buy them be able to present them for inspection and confirmation randomly to show they havent sold them to anyone else. Got a feeling we will be seeing these guns used by people other than the police before too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirtless Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 So we can now anticipate a rise in crime., The country is full of idiots with guns already General , do you really need to add to the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcatcher Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 150,000 Swiss-made Sig Sauer automatic pistols... from manufacturer in the United States. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjackson Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 More proof if needed that the self imposed, unelected PM is no different to the rest of the trough feeders. What a lovely retirement present. Why the rush to push this through before he retires? The art of negotiating is to walk away and be chased. Not run to the supplier with a PO in hand. PM you have zero credibility in your attempts to build a military styled country, hiding behind your Bringing Happiness To The People bull$&1t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h90 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 150,000 Swiss-made Sig Sauer automatic pistols... from manufacturer in the United States. I didn't saw that.....Maybe they hold Swiss slave labor in USA who make pistols..... Are they really automatic? Don't want to see a Thai policemen with an automatic pistol....there will be some collateral damage.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h90 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 More proof if needed that the self imposed, unelected PM is no different to the rest of the trough feeders. What a lovely retirement present. Why the rush to push this through before he retires? The art of negotiating is to walk away and be chased. Not run to the supplier with a PO in hand. PM you have zero credibility in your attempts to build a military styled country, hiding behind your Bringing Happiness To The People bull$&1t I wouldn't say no different....that is something the Shinawatras would do for breakfast.....But clearly it is corrupt. Write it out, let all producer offer, look what is the best deal for this application and my name should be Kermit the frog, if not a gun from China or Russia would be the much better deal for a policeman that uses it very rarely. Price 1/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussieinthailand Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Reg price is over 70,000 Baht for a sig, NOT!!!! but now only 18,000. So if the BIB are buying them with their own money and are for on duty and off, and considered personal property, then will this cost the government how much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzra Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Couldn't they just bought fake guns from China and save a whole lot of cash and still look good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn0001 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 150,000 Swiss-made Sig Sauer automatic pistols... from manufacturer in the United States. They are made in the US, the parent company is Swiss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominique355 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Strange ... i thought SIG Sauer is a Swiss arms manufacturer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn0001 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Reg price is over 70,000 Baht for a sig, NOT!!!! but now only 18,000. So if the BIB are buying them with their own money and are for on duty and off, and considered personal property, then will this cost the government how much? Top wack retail price is 25,000 Baht in the US, add on the 30% import tax and that is 32,500, still less than half what they claim they are paying, it just does not add up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn0001 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Strange ... i thought SIG Sauer is a Swiss arms manufacturer. Switzerland has very strict laws regarding arms manufacture, from the offset they have used other countries to make their guns for them, first Germany and later the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DP25 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Reg price is over 70,000 Baht for a sig, NOT!!!! but now only 18,000. So if the BIB are buying them with their own money and are for on duty and off, and considered personal property, then will this cost the government how much? 70,000 including the tax and import duty, which is going to be over 100% of the cost of the gun. Guns are highly taxed and regulated in Thailand, they are very expensive here. This is basically just allowing the police to buy the guns tax free. A lot of farang don't seem to realize this, but ALL police in Thailand pay for their guns and ammunition out of their own pocket. There is no standard issue firearm they give officers. Police end up going in to debt to to buy a gun and some of them recoup that money from corruption. Lower gun prices for the police are a good thing for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just1Voice Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Couldn't they just bought fake guns from China and save a whole lot of cash and still look good? Nah, because they couldn't sell the fake guns as easy on the black market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn0001 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Reg price is over 70,000 Baht for a sig, NOT!!!! but now only 18,000. So if the BIB are buying them with their own money and are for on duty and off, and considered personal property, then will this cost the government how much? 70,000 including the tax and import duty, which is going to be over 100% of the cost of the gun. Guns are highly taxed and regulated in Thailand, they are very expensive here. This is basically just allowing the police to buy the guns tax free. A lot of farang don't seem to realize this, but ALL police in Thailand pay for their guns and ammunition out of their own pocket. There is no standard issue firearm they give officers. Police end up going in to debt to to buy a gun and some of them recoup that money from corruption. Lower gun prices for the police are a good thing for everyone. "70,000 including the tax and import duty, which is going to be over 100% of the cost of the gun." No it's not, it is 30% for guns, the high retail price you see in the shops in Bangkok is mostly the shops markup, and that should not be included as they claim to be going direct, but I guess someone is going to make some money out of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worgeordie Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 150,000 Swiss-made Sig Sauer automatic pistols... from manufacturer in the United Statess Switzerland,maybe thats were the profits will end up. regards worgeordie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Why should a policeman/woman/officer have to purchase a gun??? should it not be issued with the job? should they not be kept at a secure place when the police are off duty like a police station armoury? What happening to the old guns? what happens to the guns when the policeman/woman/officer, leaves, sacked, retires or goes to prison? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DP25 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Reg price is over 70,000 Baht for a sig, NOT!!!! but now only 18,000. So if the BIB are buying them with their own money and are for on duty and off, and considered personal property, then will this cost the government how much? 70,000 including the tax and import duty, which is going to be over 100% of the cost of the gun. Guns are highly taxed and regulated in Thailand, they are very expensive here. This is basically just allowing the police to buy the guns tax free. A lot of farang don't seem to realize this, but ALL police in Thailand pay for their guns and ammunition out of their own pocket. There is no standard issue firearm they give officers. Police end up going in to debt to to buy a gun and some of them recoup that money from corruption. Lower gun prices for the police are a good thing for everyone. "70,000 including the tax and import duty, which is going to be over 100% of the cost of the gun." No it's not, it is 30% for guns, the high retail price you see in the shops in Bangkok is mostly the shops markup, and that should not be included as they claim to be going direct, but I guess someone is going to make some money out of this. The 70,000 baht should be mentioned, as that is what police in Thailand normally have to pay. Tax + regulations drive the price sky high, and the police have to pay the same prices. It looks like this gun will be sold for roughly the same price it is sold in the US. The government loses out on duty/tax and shops lose out on profit. I don't see anyone making much money out of this, aside from civilians who may get less baht taken from their pockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn0001 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Reg price is over 70,000 Baht for a sig, NOT!!!! but now only 18,000. So if the BIB are buying them with their own money and are for on duty and off, and considered personal property, then will this cost the government how much? 70,000 including the tax and import duty, which is going to be over 100% of the cost of the gun. Guns are highly taxed and regulated in Thailand, they are very expensive here. This is basically just allowing the police to buy the guns tax free. A lot of farang don't seem to realize this, but ALL police in Thailand pay for their guns and ammunition out of their own pocket. There is no standard issue firearm they give officers. Police end up going in to debt to to buy a gun and some of them recoup that money from corruption. Lower gun prices for the police are a good thing for everyone. "70,000 including the tax and import duty, which is going to be over 100% of the cost of the gun." No it's not, it is 30% for guns, the high retail price you see in the shops in Bangkok is mostly the shops markup, and that should not be included as they claim to be going direct, but I guess someone is going to make some money out of this. The 70,000 baht should be mentioned, as that is what police in Thailand normally have to pay. Tax + regulations drive the price sky high, and the police have to pay the same prices. It looks like this gun will be sold for roughly the same price it is sold in the US. The government loses out on duty/tax and shops lose out on profit. I don't see anyone making much money out of this, aside from civilians who may get less baht taken from their pockets. I'm sorry, I misread it, you are absolutely right, they are paying 18,000, we don't know exactly what they will cost with taxes and delivery and 70,000 is the current retail price in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chainarong Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 (edited) One wonders whether the Un- Elected Prime Minister knows he is actually following a path of one of his predecessors , back in 04/5 the then administration was fitting out the RPT with better small weapons than the Army , much to their disgust, I believe now that former Prime Minister is being stripped of his titles , history has a bad habit of repeating itself. Edited September 19, 2015 by chainarong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenixdoglover Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 As others have stated, because the guns are owned by the individuals, this load of new guns will result in older guns being put on the market. The Police should really have a trade-in program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkpanther99 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 You can't even begin to imagine the amount of kick-backs that must have been paid in order for a deal like this to happen. Kerrching for someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedtripler Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Reg price is over 70,000 Baht for a sig, NOT!!!! but now only 18,000. So if the BIB are buying them with their own money and are for on duty and off, and considered personal property, then will this cost the government how much? Top wack retail price is 25,000 Baht in the US, add on the 30% import tax and that is 32,500, still less than half what they claim they are paying, it just does not add up. i was under the impression expensive guns would be a luxury item classed along with hi powered motorcycles and such and these are taxed at 200-250% so maybe thats how they arrived at the sum of 70,000ish its not like theres many shootouts anjyway ,i su8ppose chinese or russian made revolvers could be got a lot cheaper in bulk but they dont have enough secks appeal aussieinthailand : it will cost the govt nothing ,since the guns will be sold to offiecrs and anyone who cantt afford it outright can pay it off monthly so it seems like a good deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luudee Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 The 70,000 baht quoted "market price" is absurd. Manufacturer suggested retail price is around 25,000 baht ($713 USD) - outside of Thailand .... Even with import duties and taxes, I can not understand how they get 70,000 baht ... May be I forgot the pocket linings of the police chief ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DP25 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 The 70,000 baht quoted "market price" is absurd. Manufacturer suggested retail price is around 25,000 baht ($713 USD) - outside of Thailand .... Even with import duties and taxes, I can not understand how they get 70,000 baht ... May be I forgot the pocket linings of the police chief ..... Go look at what guns cost at a gun store. They are ridiculously expensive in Thailand. A $500 gun in the US easily costs $2,000+ in Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcatcher Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 150,000 Swiss-made Sig Sauer automatic pistols... from manufacturer in the United States. They are made in the US, the parent company is Swiss. Actually, to split the proverbial hairs, the parent company is Reynold's Packaging Group, owned by New Zealand billionaire investor Graeme Hart and his Rank Group. Probably made in their New Hampshire factories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Mega Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 The 70,000 baht quoted "market price" is absurd. Manufacturer suggested retail price is around 25,000 baht ($713 USD) - outside of Thailand .... Even with import duties and taxes, I can not understand how they get 70,000 baht ... May be I forgot the pocket linings of the police chief ..... how much are the import duties and taxes ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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