webfact Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Prayut complains submarine briefing to the public 'too open' in providing details By WASAMON AUDJARINT THE NATION BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said that a press briefing by the Royal Thai Navy on the controversial submarine purchase, which has been publicly criticised for being too expensive, might have been “too open” as information on national security should be kept confidential. “No other country reveals their military hardware this much. Their qualifications shouldn’t be brought into the open air,” Prayut said after a Cabinet meeting. The premier spoke a day after the Navy held a two-and-a-half-hour press conference explaining the reasoning behind the Bt36-billion deal for three Yuan Class S26T submarines from China. The session was held two weeks after the Cabinet confidentially approved a purchase proposal for the first Chinese submarine worth Bt13.5 billion. The deal, which is expected to be signed this month, would bind the Thai government to 17 instalment payments over at least seven years. The secret approval was met by public fury, with critics saying that Thailand did not need expensive submarines as the economy languishes, especially as the Kingdom does not face any major maritime threats. To resolve public doubts, five high-ranking Navy officers on Monday went into detail about the technical advantages of the Chinese submarines over those from other countries, what the Chinese package would include, and the overall payment process. However, Prayut said the procurement had proceeded appropriately and should not have required such an elaborate public explanation. “[The public] shouldn’t simply assume the submarine to be of poor quality. We want it to boost our maritime capability,” the premier said. “The procurement process went through thorough consideration to make sure that [the submarines] will not fall below standards.” Prayut also rejected politicians’ suggestion that the money should have been spent on other national priorities. “Everything can’t simply be solved by money, it has to be fixed at a structural level,” he said. “Domestic security is also important.” He also claimed that the Office of Auditor-General and the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission had already reviewed the procurement process and given suggestions at almost every step of the way. However, Auditor-General Pisit Leelavachiropas has said that his office planned to review the Cabinet’s approval and assign senior officers to investigate the Navy, given that the deal was highly confidential and could not be exposed to public scrutiny. Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association to Protect the Thai Constitution, has urged Prayut to exercise his authority under Article 44 of the interim charter to set up an independent body to investigate the Navy’s plan to buy the submarines. He said the investigatory committee should consist of impartial representatives from the judiciary and academia to ensure the plan was transparent and legal. The government has not yet fully disclosed information on the acquisition scheme, including the bidding terms of reference and payment plan. The Navy has said it would pay for the first submarine in instalments over a seven-year period while Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the government would use the state budget to pay over an 11-year period. Srisuwan also accused Prawit of misleading the public by saying that Thailand would get three submarines for the price of two, adding that Prayut should consider setting up an independent body to provide factual information to the public. Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30314049 -- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-03 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 26 minutes ago, webfact said: “No other country reveals their military hardware this much. Their qualifications shouldn’t be brought into the open air,” Prayut said after a Cabinet meeting. agree .... The media can be a pest some times ..... Khun Prayuth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzra Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Yep, why should the public know anything about the government spending billions of it's money? it's a privilege reserved for the elite only, the rest of them tax payers are nothing but a stupid buffalos right?..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracker1 Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Can't wait for Royal Thai Navys submarines RTN Prayut 1 RTN Prayut 2 RTN Prayut 3 a lasting legacy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowboat Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 1 hour ago, webfact said: However, Prayut said the procurement had proceeded appropriately and should not have required such an elaborate public explanation. The procurement was done by a rubber stamp committee under a government who automatically pardoned for misdeeds. The reason why Thailand needs submarines remains unclear. Western military organizations procure based on a reasonable threat. They tend use the most advanced equipment where less advance equipment would do a better more cost effective job. Most military organizations procure poorly. Thailand being the most glaring of examples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksidedog Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 1 hour ago, webfact said: Prayut should consider setting up an independent body to provide factual information to the public. That kind of suggests that we are not alone in believing that the PM is overly economic with the truth, and less than forthcoming with actual facts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon467367354 Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Maybe he took a tip from the US, "it's classified, we can't discuss it". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargeezr Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 I wished Canada would have done his before buying 4 submarines from Britain, as the subs are just junk. They did not even sail from England to Canada, so be cautious Thailand and do not get taken like Canada did. Geezer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtls2005 Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Seems odd that five senior RTN "officials" are unaware of their own rules re: secrecy and national security? Maybe the PM should just do everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo2014 Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Why fund schools, build hospitals, fix roads and electrical cabling, invest in social development, assist the poor... when you can get frickin Submarines.... YAY (Toys for the Boyz in charge) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farang99 Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 2 hours ago, ezzra said: Yep, why should the public know anything about the government spending billions of it's money? it's a privilege reserved for the elite only, the rest of them tax payers are nothing but a stupid buffalos right?..... Not buffaloes - mushrooms - keep them in the dark and from time to time shovel some shit on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worgeordie Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Dont let Thai people know,it's only their tax money they are spending. regards worgeordie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgeorgeallen Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 he should be voted out of power for wasting public money. oh yea thats right he cant be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFishman1 Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Kept It a secret still wondering why he is pushing so hard for subs they don't need maybe there a Big Pay day there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexpho Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Buying submarines from a potential adversary is also not too smart. Sure, China and Thailand are friendly towards each other for now. We see it at face value. Things can change real quick in the future. Who is the main antagonist in all of Asia and making retarded claims in all of South China Seas? I don't even buy a toaster thats made in China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klauskunkel Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 (edited) 4 hours ago, webfact said: Yuan Class S26T I googled this U-Boat type: "Royal Thai Navy (RTN) formally selected China's Yuan-class (Type 041) platform to meet a requirement for three submarines. The RTN's procurement committee voted unanimously in favour of purchasing the submarine, which has been designated S26T (Thailand), a modified export version of the Yuan-class. As the 039A has very little resemblance to the 039 it is commonly referred to as the Type 041." This means the Yuan S26T is actually a Yuan 039A, just renamed for export purposes. Now, these are some comments on Yuan 039A: "Yuan is a large conventional submarine, only marginally smaller than a Soryu-class boat—on the order of 15 percent smaller. Perhaps a better comparison would be with the PLAN’s (People’s Liberation Army Navy) other large conventional submarine, the Russian-built Project 636 Kilo. That comparison shows the Yuan comes out as being slightly bigger than a late model Kilo. Thus the Type 039 A/B Yuan is not a small submarine at all. It is one of the largest conventional combat submarines in the PLAN inventory, and is no more maneuverable in shallow water than other large conventional submarine designs, such as the Kilo or Soryu-classes. If a navy truly wishes to invest in a “coastal submarine,” or SSC, then it would look at submarines like the German Type 205 and 206, and the North Korean Sango, all of which come in at less than 500 tons submerged displacement." So, the argument to use this sub as a shallow water sub has now been torpedoed. blub, blub, blub, blrrrp! Edited May 3, 2017 by klauskunkel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Loh Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 29 minutes ago, williamgeorgeallen said: he should be voted out of power for wasting public money. oh yea thats right he cant be. But but the Navy said that the money is from the Navy budget and will therefore not waste public money. LOL. Idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCC1701A Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 “No other country reveals their military hardware this much. Their qualifications shouldn’t be brought into the open air,” Prayut said after a Cabinet meeting. yes like knowing the subs pose no threat at all to anyone except the people inside them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sawadeeken Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 the public is best kept uninformed and stupid............. Not that hard to do when they don't even have decent education for 'their' Public...... I say --- "Pay for schools and colleges, not Submarines............. And, the reason they told before was just a matter of gloating and excitement they couldn't contain...... They couldn't wait for the world to know so their 'FACE' would glow in the dark...... all about Face................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl sees all Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 (edited) You lot are so cynical. Give the guy a break. The PM is simply trying to protect Thailand and Thai subjects (almost typed citizens then). Edited May 3, 2017 by owl sees all spelling error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko kok prong Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Looks like something from world war 2,hope they have a good ventlation system to remove the stink of the palaa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Allen Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Why, exactly, does Thailand NEED a military, except to mount coups? They are in no danger of invasion from surrounding countries. Thailand has about as much need for a standing army as Costa Rica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko kok prong Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 7 minutes ago, Chip Allen said: Why, exactly, does Thailand NEED a military, except to mount coups? They are in no danger of invasion from surrounding countries. Thailand has about as much need for a standing army as Costa Rica. Plus the fact if say the vietnamese decided to invade,the Thai army would be beaten in about 3 days,due to their inability to fight more than 2 hours without stopping for food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realenglish1 Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 "No other country reveals their military hardware this much. Their qualifications shouldn’t be brought into the open air,” Prayut said after a Cabinet meeting." How wrong you are great leader The USA talks openly about its capabilities and hardware they have Short of talking about torpedo evasive maneuvers. As a matter of fact I was on a tour of one of the battle ships a few years back and they openly talked about a lot I asked the tour guide why they talked about he he said " Oh we want the enemy to know what are capability is so they will think twice about an attack " You are only worried about the public push back this stupid sub deal is creating Your military and you want your toys regardless of how it hurst Thai society even though the public do not want a sub Its that simple Yield to the wish of the public ( They really do know best) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgeorgeallen Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 1 hour ago, Eric Loh said: But but the Navy said that the money is from the Navy budget and will therefore not waste public money. LOL. Idiots. i suppose the navy may have been using their boats to do some commercial fishing to raise funds for the subs. actually that sounds ok although i doubt their fishing was done sustainably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baboon Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 24 minutes ago, realenglish1 said: "No other country reveals their military hardware this much. Their qualifications shouldn’t be brought into the open air,” Prayut said after a Cabinet meeting." How wrong you are great leader The USA talks openly about its capabilities and hardware they have Short of talking about torpedo evasive maneuvers. As a matter of fact I was on a tour of one of the battle ships a few years back and they openly talked about a lot I asked the tour guide why they talked about he he said " Oh we want the enemy to know what are capability is so they will think twice about an attack " You are only worried about the public push back this stupid sub deal is creating Your military and you want your toys regardless of how it hurst Thai society even though the public do not want a sub Its that simple Yield to the wish of the public ( They really do know best) "As a matter of fact I was on a tour of one of the battle ships a few years back and they openly talked about a lot I asked the tour guide why they talked about he he said " Oh we want the enemy to know what are capability is so they will think twice about an attack "" Maybe the Thai military DON'T want the enemy to know what the capibility is so they will think twice about an attack? If they did...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Loh Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 1 hour ago, klauskunkel said: I googled this U-Boat type: "Royal Thai Navy (RTN) formally selected China's Yuan-class (Type 041) platform to meet a requirement for three submarines. The RTN's procurement committee voted unanimously in favour of purchasing the submarine, which has been designated S26T (Thailand), a modified export version of the Yuan-class. As the 039A has very little resemblance to the 039 it is commonly referred to as the Type 041." This means the Yuan S26T is actually a Yuan 039A, just renamed for export purposes. Now, these are some comments on Yuan 039A: "Yuan is a large conventional submarine, only marginally smaller than a Soryu-class boat—on the order of 15 percent smaller. Perhaps a better comparison would be with the PLAN’s (People’s Liberation Army Navy) other large conventional submarine, the Russian-built Project 636 Kilo. That comparison shows the Yuan comes out as being slightly bigger than a late model Kilo. Thus the Type 039 A/B Yuan is not a small submarine at all. It is one of the largest conventional combat submarines in the PLAN inventory, and is no more maneuverable in shallow water than other large conventional submarine designs, such as the Kilo or Soryu-classes. If a navy truly wishes to invest in a “coastal submarine,” or SSC, then it would look at submarines like the German Type 205 and 206, and the North Korean Sango, all of which come in at less than 500 tons submerged displacement." So, the argument to use this sub as a shallow water sub has now been torpedoed. blub, blub, blub, blrrrp! The German and Korean (South) submarine were considered by the Thailand Navy. Eventually they opted for the Chinese because of 'great value" and more freebies. Pretty small minds more akin to decision making buying a car. But we know it is more due to the political fact of kissing up to China and maybe because China is less transparent and can keep secrets better when palms are greased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starky Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 46 minutes ago, marko kok prong said: Plus the fact if say the vietnamese decided to invade,the Thai army would be beaten in about 3 days,due to their inability to fight more than 2 hours without stopping for food. Dont forget nap time as well.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krataiboy Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 . . . Prayut should consider setting up an independent body to provide factual information to the public. Dream on. The last thing any authoritarian government needs is somebody telling the prols what is really going on. That's the job of a free press. And that is precisely why the junta wants to make all journalists apply for licenses to tell us what is really going on. It's how you turn a watchdog into a lapdog and another significant step towards totalitarianism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuktuktuk Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 I just hope they don't do any Thai style electric system modifications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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