Thai navy signs Bt13.5-bn deal for Chinese submarine

[webfact]

Thai navy signs Bt13.5-bn deal for Chinese submarine
By The Nation

 

 

The Royal Thai Navy on Friday signed a Bt13.5-billion deal to buy the first Chinese-made submarine from state-owned China Shipbuilding and Offshore International (CSOC) in Beijing, marking the start of a programme to buy a total of three submarines.

 

The signing ceremony was attended by senior Thai and Chinese officials, with the Thai delegation led by Admiral Leuchai Ruddit. 

 

Leuchai said both Thai and Chinese officials had approved details of the contract which had already been examined by Thailand’s Office of the Attorney-General. He said the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) had also green-lighted the contract signing.

 

Earlier, the OAG said it would take a week to vet the contract and procurement process.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30314327

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-05

[Farang hunter]

I rather see that amount of money benefiting the most humble decent human beings instead.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Farang hunter

[clockman]

Nice pension pot, For certain military people!

 

[Nigeone]

And the fun begins ! One thing is for sure Thai government doesn't want to try and renegade on this contract like it has a habit of doing on others ! 

[wakeupplease]

I would love to view the bank accounts and home storage of every one of those in the pic now and over the next 7 years.

[NCC1701A]

if they have to waste money it is a good thing they are buying these crap subs that are zero threat to anyone.

 

could you imagine if Thailand was serious about using these subs.

 

 

Edited May 6, 2017 by NCC1701A

[petermik]

No chance the money could have been spent on healthcare was there

[jabis]

1 minute ago, NCC1701A said:

good thing they are buying these crap subs that are zero threat to anyone.

 

could you imagine if Thailand was serious about using these subs.

 

 

Well - depending on view-point...
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/history/chinese-submarine-appeared-in-the-middle-of-a-carrier-battle-group.html

[steven100]

well done.  It will create some jobs in Thailand but not many ....  not as many as in China.

I would have liked more infrastructure to be built instead of submarines ....  however ,   every county is raising defence spending so you can't blame thailand for doing the same.

Edited May 6, 2017 by steven100
more descriptive

[Chris Lawrence]

Then they took the Chinese boys to Mai Hong Song to taste the fruits of the country and spend time with the little ones. What a party.

[sanukjim]

18 hours ago, wakeupplease said:

I would love to view the bank accounts and home storage of every one of those in the pic now and over the next 7 years.

On the purchase of military hardware here it normally is inflated by 200+ percent. So after the actual cost of about Bt 5.6 billion and some actual cost of delivery, inventory inspections,ect there should be about Bt7 billion to spread around the Admiral staff ,government officials,and hangers on..Look for new Ferraris and Lamborghinis around Bangkok soon.I forgot about the kick back to the seller also ,so take away the money spread by about Bt2 billion. Leaving only Bt5 billion.

Edited May 6, 2017 by sanukjim

[chainarong]

20 hours ago, clockman said:

Nice pension pot, For certain military people!

 

Don't worry there R snouts in the trough from Bangkok to Beijing.....................

[12DrinkMore]

Well, they have really sunk those 12 Billion.

[Jonmarleesco]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Earlier, the OAG said it would take a week to vet the contract and procurement process.

Uh, huh. And the signing was scheduled for the 7th. Obviously Chinese time is synchronised with Thai time - and we all know how that works.

[Geordie59]

What are these for, attack or defence? If it is defence I doubt any invasion will come from the sea.
I remember about 20 years ago they tried to buy some subs and found that given the relatively shallow water in the Gulf of Thailand they would be visible from the air over a lot of the area.
Now if they plan to sail away to places like N Korea that would be a different proposition.

[55Jay]

22 minutes ago, Geordie59 said:

What are these for, attack or defence? If it is defence I doubt any invasion will come from the sea.
I remember about 20 years ago they tried to buy some subs and found that given the relatively shallow water in the Gulf of Thailand they would be visible from the air over a lot of the area.
Now if they plan to sail away to places like N Korea that would be a different proposition.

They'll get some practice in if they catch one of these in open water out over the horizon. 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2017 by 55Jay

[55Jay]

2 hours ago, jabis said:

Well - depending on view-point...
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/history/chinese-submarine-appeared-in-the-middle-of-a-carrier-battle-group.html

Spotted a periscope once off the starboard side of a ship I as on.  We weren't flying any helos and didn't have any escorts around.  It was one of ours, and they intended for us to see them.  They were probably laughing their asses off while we, on the other hand, had a sobering reminder of what a huge, dumb, loud target we were. 

 

Years later I went on a small attack sub for a meeting (pier side) and there were photos of many US Navy ships taken from periscope.  

[Srikcir]

On 5/5/2017 at 3:51 PM, webfact said:

a Bt13.5-billion deal to buy the first Chinese-made submarine

Recently announced that March's public debt was Bt76.3-billion higher than the debt in February.

Prayut will finance the sub purchases through borrowing from China.

Prayut's national broadcast in May 2014: "We will adhere to fiscal prudence and not overspend the national budget."

Prayut's national broadcast in October 2015: "This government will never overspend the state budget."

In 2017 - Never say never?

 

[surangw]

will the instructions come in grammatically correct thai?

 

any supply line for spare parts ?

[fish monger]

1 hour ago, surangw said:

will the instructions come in grammatically correct thai?

 

any supply line for spare parts ?

Google Translate...Makes it interesting.

[fish monger]

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

Recently announced that March's public debt was Bt76.3-billion higher than the debt in February.

Prayut will finance the sub purchases through borrowing from China.

Prayut's national broadcast in May 2014: "We will adhere to fiscal prudence and not overspend the national budget."

Prayut's national broadcast in October 2015: "This government will never overspend the state budget."

In 2017 - Never say never?

 

Prawit or someone stated that the funds were coming directly from the Navy...Not the state budget... 55555

[elgordo38]

My big laugh of the day was when I read in that all famous Bangkok newspaper that the good Admiral stated that the new government formed after the election will have the option of cancelling the purchase. I guess there is a bit of comedian in all of us. 

[Happyman58]

My god how many people does it take to sign a contract  Good times to be had by all the group in Beijing  Few girls here and there  Easy part was signing it  Hard part will be how to pay for it

[YetAnother]

funded 'directly' by the navy ; and not the taxpayer; strange, i didnt realize the navy had revenue; their budget is our money

[Srikcir]

26 minutes ago, Happyman58 said:

Hard part will be how to pay for it

Not really a problem for the military.

Delivery in six years, Chinese financing to pay off the loan in seven years.

Cash upfront comes from Thailand treasury reserves and/or sale of treasury bonds.

Next elected government will be unable to cancel or modify sale without military-controlled Senate approval.

[Srikcir]

4 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

funded 'directly' by the navy ; and not the taxpayer; strange, i didnt realize the navy had revenue; their budget is our money

Actually the military owns real estate, businesses and natural resources to generate revenues without taxpayer approval or oversight. It furthermore admits to maintenance of a "slush fund" for military purposes. With current unfettered access to the nation's treasury and borrowing capability, the junta can simply generate immediate funds at taxpayer expense and allocate to the navy who in turn can fund naval acquisitions.

Authoritarian governments can be very efficient.