Thailand approves $393-mln purchase of Chinese submarines

[snoop1130]

Thailand approves $393-mln purchase of Chinese submarines

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's cabinet has approved the first of three planned submarine purchases from China worth $393 million, a government spokesman said on Monday.

The plan to buy the three Chinese-built submarines worth 36 billion baht ($1.05 billion) was confirmed in July, signalling warming ties with the regional superpower since relations with the United States cooled after a May 2014 military coup.

The first submarine purchase was approved last week.

"The cabinet approved one submarine purchase on April 18," spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd told Reuters, adding that a budget of 13.5 billion baht ($393 million) has been earmarked for the Yuan Class S26T submarine over a six-year period.

The media were not told about the purchase following a cabinet meeting last week because it was a matter of national security, he added.

Public criticism and questions have arisen as to whether Thailand really needs new submarines.

"In the current situation, where the government cannot successfully solve economic problems, buying expensive submarines is completely unnecessary," Watchara Petchthong, a politician with the Democrat Party, told Reuters.

Navy spokesman Admiral Jumpol Loompikanon said the Thai navy owned four Japanese submarines nearly 60 years ago, so new submarines were necessary to protect the country's maritime interests.

"Thai people can rest assured that the navy's submarine spending will be worth it and beneficial to Thailand," Jumpol told Reuters.

Thailand's navy chief, Admiral Na Arreenich, will visit China soon to finalize the government-to-government purchase, a source at the defence ministry, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.

Maritime security is a hot issue in Southeast Asia, given competing claims over the South China Sea, but Thailand is not a claimant in that dispute.

Thailand's defence budget this year is more than 210 billion baht ($6.11 billion), about 9 percent more than the year the military took power.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-4-24

[ChrisY1]

"Thai people can rest assured that the navy's submarine spending will be worth it and beneficial to Thailand," Jumpol told Reuters."

 

Trust me...enough said...actually Thailand really does need submarines..(sic)...especially old Chinese units...........but whatever.....the commissions must be worth the purchases;)..
 

[rkidlad]

Absolute insanity. This money should be put into schools, hospitals and completely reforming the police. 

 

No one is interested in invading Thailand. Thailand has nothing worth invading for. This is purely a "look at how big mine is". Small men with huge inferiority complexes. 

 

 

[Moonmoon]

Junta approved or Thailand approved? Perhaps we should have TV poll.

[colinneil]

Unbelievable that this so-called government, actually think that buying old Chinese subs is beneficial to Thailand.

The useless piece of scrap of an aircraft carrier, will soon be joined by more useless junk.

The school situation here is in dire straits, so that money could be used for schools, but no keep the peasants ignorant.

Educated people think, and that is the last thing this government want.

Edited April 24, 2017 by colinneil

[Hereinthailand]

It would just be wasted on the education system at least the subs can draw tourists.

[darksidedog]

42 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

"In the current situation, where the government cannot successfully solve economic problems, buying expensive submarines is completely unnecessary," Watchara Petchthong, a politician with the Democrat Party, told Reuters.

Stupidity! Pure and simple. Latter part of that being very close to the mind set of the idiots authorising the purchase.

Haven't had or needed one for 60 years, but now it is needed. Utterly ridiculous. The sooner these retards are out of power the better.

Bloody military can think of nothing other than more weapons while the people suffer from lack of basic needs and the economy is not bright.

[wakeupplease]

Who the hell are they going to invade? Boys with their toys, real men have brains

[lemonjelly]

The hospital equipment that could have been bought.... the community clinics that could have been built..... this is more scandalous than  Thaksin's rice debacle.

[fforest1]

1 hour ago, rkidlad said:

Absolute insanity. This money should be put into schools, hospitals and completely reforming the police. 

 

No one is interested in invading Thailand. Thailand has nothing worth invading for. This is purely a "look at how big mine is". Small men with huge inferiority complexes. 

 

 

Your wrong about there is nothing worth invading for...

I think all the massage and GoGo girls are worth a invasion...

[Denim]

57 minutes ago, Hereinthailand said:

It would just be wasted on the education system at least the subs can draw tourists.

Yea......scuba divers looking for new coral reefs.

[nobU eoJ]

some entrepreneurial genius named "somchai" will convert these subs to short time rooms to entice /attract the ever sought after sex tourist thus ensuring thailands sex trade generated GNP flourishes for decades, or until the subs sink to the bottom of the adaman.

[bangrak]

1 hour ago, Moonmoon said:

Junta approved or Thailand approved? Perhaps we should have TV poll.

The most sad thing being: you don't even need to have a 'junta' to have the RTA, RTM, RTAF, etc. spending loads of taxpayers' money in damn silly, unusable, 'toys', as the exact same happened under e-ve-ry, so-called 'democratically elected', government before! Then buying 'toys for the boys' to keep them quiet, now the boys get straight to Santa by themselves... Ah, when at least they would purchase decent equipment, even stuff they don't need, but no, it's all a bit about face, ...and a lot about commissions! At the 'basic' 30% rate, that's $131-mln, but maybe 'big brother' China upped it to 40%? ...Or mega-combinations, with railways, tanks, Dawei, who knows what? Selling out Thailand under a false flag of nationalistic pride? Could that be the 'rich making' hidden agenda of the leading 'big brass'...?

[bangrak]

The RTM already, for some years now, has a training school for submarine crews, ...without any submarine to train or serve on, but, hey, there's an aircraft carrier too, without any STOL plane left in service... The same story coming back, now underwater... Well, at least 'a bit' under the surface... The good side being that, whether some crew after having learned about the diving instructions, might have missed the course about re-surfacing (or some healthy sailors might prefer to sleep with the portholes opened...?) the probabilty of losing the submarine will be tiny, as over about 95% of the surface covered by the seas in Thailand waters, is so shallow even when at the bottom, the snorkle and some parts of the subs' structure will be visible at the surface... Or will there be another budget to dig some deep training 'pond' in some place, where the fishermen will not object? Thailand, the land of ... (fill that in for yourselves) 

[anotheruser]

1 hour ago, Moonmoon said:

Junta approved or Thailand approved? Perhaps we should have TV poll.

That comes later when we become truly delusional enough to think any of us can actually speak for Thailand. Don't worry we are getting close to that moment.

[gk10002000]

Follow the money.  exactly where will this or other subs be based?  Gulf of Thailand?  West coast of Thailand?  In what port(s)?  What facilities will it need?  Who will provide the support logistics, the food service contract, the onboard foo supplies, etc.

[anotheruser]

8 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

Follow the money.  exactly where will this or other subs be based?  Gulf of Thailand?  West coast of Thailand?  In what port(s)?  What facilities will it need?  Who will provide the support logistics, the food service contract, the onboard foo supplies, etc.

Nice places for coral to regenerate in about ten years.

[bangrak]

21 minutes ago, anotheruser said:

Nice places for coral to regenerate in about ten years.

Allow it to rust for ten years more... And hope they don't forget to first remove all the poisonous stuff the Chinese will have built their junk with...

[anotheruser]

1 minute ago, bangrak said:

Allow it to rust for ten years more... And hope they don't forget to first remove all the poisonous stuff the Chinese will have built their junk with...

Can you imagine you are involved with a navy anywhere in the world that has a half serious naval program? You have a Thai submarine stalking you. What do you do? 

[worgeordie]

This has been on,off,on off, more times than my underpants,

These Submarines are used,hope the Chinese change the

labels on the controls to Thai, as there could be mayhem.

 

Would you buy a 2nd hand Sub off a Chinese.

regards worgeordie

[anotheruser]

5 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

This has been on,off,on off, more times than my underpants,

These Submarines are used,hope the Chinese change the

labels on the controls to Thai, as there could be mayhem.

 

Would you buy a 2nd hand Sub off a Chinese.

regards worgeordie

I hope they can challenge the Chinese in a small bay that has shallow reefs.

[kaorop]

A sad day for the rural poor, who will never see 1 satang benefit to their or their children's lives.


now to defect the trolls, yes other countries, even mine waste similar amounts.,

[kaorop]

7 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

This has been on,off,on off, more times than my underpants,

These Submarines are used,hope the Chinese change the

labels on the controls to Thai, as there could be mayhem.

 

Would you buy a 2nd hand Sub off a Chinese.

regards worgeordie

i wouldnt buy a brand new one

and the japanese ones were probably left overs abandoned after they were beaten (not that i know )

[uptheos]

Better check for leaks before shelling out the cash.

[anotheruser]

I have some depth charges left over from WW2 if anybody wants to thwart them.

[stickyrice2000]

The benefits of buying the submarines do not out weight the investment in other areas.   China does not become 2nd world largest economy by simply purchasing the military weapons.  They focus on developments and businesses first.  Weaponry comes later after they become a rich nation. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by stickyrice2000

[chowny77]

The Muppet Show is back in town! What a waste of money, just like the rich scheme and the tablets for kids. Utter B%$loc%s!

[Enoon]

3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

This has been on,off,on off, more times than my underpants,

These Submarines are used,hope the Chinese change the

labels on the controls to Thai, as there could be mayhem.

 

Would you buy a 2nd hand Sub off a Chinese.

regards worgeordie

 

Not used or secondhand.

 

They will be "new build" export versions of this:

 

Type 039A submarine - Wikipedia

 

The Thai military does not stint on itself.

 

 

[optad]

It is as much about the geo-politics as it is self aggrandisement.  Subs themselves are useless but the chinese wedging US friends is not.

[PatOngo]

An entire population hoodwinked yet again. Enjoy your submarines!