Thailand and China: Brothers in arms

MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR, Asia regional correspondent

 

Bangkok looks to Beijing for military supplies after US relations sour

 

BANGKOK Thailand will buy submarines "not for battle, but so that others will be in awe of us," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the nation's former military chief and current head of its ruling junta, said at a 2016 press conference.

 

Prayuth's regime took a decisive step toward that muscular view in January after the National Legislative Assembly, the country's rubber-stamp parliament, approved a bill to spend 13.5 billion baht ($383 million) to buy a Chinese submarine -- the first of an expected three-boat, $1 billion deal.

 

The Yuan-class S26T submarine will be delivered in about six years to the Thai navy's submarine squadron, which trained in Germany and South Korea but had no vessel to operate. That became glaringly obvious in July 2014, two months after the military seized power, when a $17.3 million submarine headquarters and training center was opened in Sattahip, a naval base on the Gulf of Thailand. The Thai navy decommissioned its last submarine in the early 1950s.

 

Full story: http://asia.nikkei.com/magazine/20170202/Politics-Economy/Thailand-and-China-Brothers-in-arms

 

-- NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW 2017-02-02

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

"not for battle, but so that others will be in awe of us,"

So glad to see that they have their priorities straight.

 

Maybe they can offer free pad thai and som tam to all navies that catch them in the water during naval exercises. That would certainly awe people.

Quote

Thailand will buy submarines "not for battle, but so that others will be in awe of us," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha,

 

 

Who is others: North Korea, Burma? Stroll on. That one phrase right there says everything that is wrong with this part of the world. I would be quite surprised, not awed, if you could build your own Vanguard-class nuke subs, let alone making do with the Chinese's poxy diesel-powered cast-offs. 

Edited February 2, 20179 yr by daveAustin

Yeah, good luck with that, about on par with the infamous 'Russian bear hug' ...

 

Im convinced the deck-hands of neighboring countries fishing  smacks are shocked and awed already!

 

Makes sense for 13.5bn THB, for sure ...    

The way this report is worded, you'd think that US relations have just soured and they are rushing to purchase submarines. The Royal Thai Navy voted on the purchase of 3 Chinese submarines back in July 2015, and it's an 11-year purchase program, so we might have to wait a decade before we hear from envious neighbours in awe of Thailand's "muscular" fleet.

Edited February 2, 20179 yr by tropo

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand will buy submarines "not for battle, but so that others will be in awe of us,"

They finally tell the truth and it makes them seem even more ridiculous.

Who will be in Awe? The voices in their heads..

Maybe other countries would be more in awe of Thailand when it does what it says it's going to do.

ie/ stop corruption, ie/ return to full democracy, reform education and the rest.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand and China: Brothers in arms

for some reason when i read this i thought of the movie Deliverance and started to hear 'Duelling Banjos'  intermingled with squealing pigs.

An admitted frivolous use of the people's funds.  

Aw shucks.

2 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

They finally tell the truth and it makes them seem even more ridiculous.

Who will be in Awe? The voices in their heads..

 

Not Pakistan. They signed up for 8 of the same subs and will build 4 in Pakistan. That contract is $5 billion. Also over 10 years before all subs are delivered.

Oh! Brother!

Quote

Thailand will buy submarines "not for battle, but so that others will be in awe of us," 

No, Thailand will buy submarines so the regime can go on clandestine get-away trips to Hawaii, without reporter asking to justify overpriced bills and finding out about CCPs (civilian companion personnel).

Edited February 2, 20179 yr by klauskunkel

I'd be more in awe if the junta did something to reduce road deaths.

 

I'm in awe of their stupidity. The strategy seems to be working.

And Pakistan still recieves 490 million£ per year in aid from the UK <deleted>

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May as well nobody else wants U, after today's events Australia might be joining U........................................

Truly unbelievable, that,s the guy who has been running the country what a statement.

reminds me of the lady from a small rice farming village had to get a nice big Ford

3 litre pickup for her Papa it sat in the front of her house her Papa could,nt drive it

because he could not read or write therefore not able to get a license .

7 hours ago, webfact said:

'... Thailand will buy submarines "not for battle, but so that others will be in awe of us," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the nation's former military chief and current head of its ruling junta, said at a 2016 press conference.'

He really said that? Ludicrous in the extreme, both the cost, simply to be able to seem awesome, and the idea that he should even think that that will be other countries' reaction.

6 hours ago, daveAustin said:

 

 

Who is others: North Korea, Burma? Stroll on. That one phrase right there says everything that is wrong with this part of the world. I would be quite surprised, not awed, if you could build your own Vanguard-class nuke subs, let alone making do with the Chinese's poxy diesel-powered cast-offs. 

 

6 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand will buy submarines "not for battle, but so that others will be in awe of us,"

They finally tell the truth and it makes them seem even more ridiculous.

Who will be in Awe? The voices in their heads..

And according to Army General and Prime Minister Prayut "THAI" language will soon replace English as #1 Language around the world.......

Another 'Face' enhancer for the Thai's....... Did you read that article recently??????

His rational was that since their language has 44 characters (plus how many vowels) (and he himself knows the language well) and some words can be used for several different meanings, The Thai language would fit the needs of the world better (at least in his opinion)...............

Do I detect a bit of an inferiority complex when some body is trying to make themselves (and country) 'look better' than THEY think it already may look???????

God Bless Thailand........ It is a SHIP in troubled waters and the man at the helm is more than 'questionable'.

A country that has an aircraft carrier (without airplanes) and thinks that they will cause other nations to be 'awe-struck' when they own submarines (likely without torpedos) LOL.........

My post is only offered as 'food for thought' and is only my own opinion that I am sharing........

$1 billion deal.
So much money, for nothing.
How many schools and hospitals could have been modernized with this money instead?
 

2 hours ago, jesimps said:

I'd be more in awe if the junta did something to reduce road deaths.

 

I am 100% in agreement.....................  And I think your post 'Hits where it is HURTING'.........

And 'God Bless Thailand'............... They need it..................

Road deaths will continue but other countries like 'Burma' will be in 'awe' of Thailand because they have some 'submarines' (however in-effective they may be).............

Brings to mind false fingernails, false eye-lashes, enhanced boobs, fake smiles, etc........

It's not what you wake up to the next morning as you are sobering-up........

FORGET submarines and spend that money on "Thai people's SAFETY"...... ON THE THAI HIWAYS'''.......

What is the military strategic purpose here?
Who is to be frightened?
Illegal fishing boots?
This could be done 100 times cheaper with speed boats.

In a military dispute, these technically obsolete submarines are immediately gone.
Enemies  need only a single modern helicopter that throws a few locating buoys and a small anti - submarine cruiser throwing the charges.
Waste of taxpayers money here.
Also does not make any military sense.

I got it ... he is going to paint it Yellow and he is going to play the Beatles song

We All Live in a Yellow Submarine.

When China says to Thailand , "we going to fight the US are you coming along"  Thailand answers, "yes, of course, big brother".

thaichiplanet

i watched Deliverance on the TV a couple of nights ago,and they cut that bit out.

Oldgent, never been a problem for Thais driving without a license, most do, more of a status symbol, seems the submarines are as well.

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What? Criticism against the military, again? Even when they tell the truth? LOL Of course these (old generation, obsolete) submarines are not 'for battle', they are Chinese, and tiny little brother Thailand won't engage into any military operation ever against mighty big brother China they come from! As a (new) vassal state, Thailand wouldn't dare anyway, could it...? And in the meantime, in the South China Sea, the imperialistic China goes on reinforcing its military build-up... ASEAN? What ASEAN...? ...Which 'brothers in arms'?

Edited February 2, 20179 yr by bangrak

5 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

No, Thailand will buy submarines so the regime can go on clandestine get-away trips to Hawaii, without reporter asking to justify overpriced bills and finding out about CCPs (civilian companion personnel).

'klaukunkel': Do you mean the Chinese subs for Thailand will have a first class with windows, and serve caviar and goose liver with champagne, with special private compartments too, waow!? LOL

_{What happened to the aircraft carrier they bought?}