Suthep defends purchase of old German U-boats

A monk sprinkles holy water on an MI-17 V5 helicopter at the delivery ceremony of three choppers worth 998 million baht at the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bangkok’s Bang Khen. JETJARAS NA RANONG

They are 'necessary to guard our territory'

29/03/2011
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has defended the Royal Thai Navy's 7.7-billion-baht planned procurement of six second-hand submarines, insisting it is necessary for maritime territory protection.

Mr Suthep, who is in charge of national security, said the navy needed the submarines to guard the country's maritime territory which has natural resources and investment potential.

Some countries in the region have submarines and could pose a threat to the national interest, Mr Suthep said.

Thailand will be the fifth country in Southeast Asia to have submarines if the ambitious purchase proposal is successful, following Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has supported the Royal Thai Navy's submarine purchase plan.

He said it was necessary for the navy to buy the submarines to train navy staff and to defend the country, although, with limited funding, the navy will have to settle for second-hand submarines.

A navy source had said previously Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva approved the purchase of the six second-hand submarines from Germany for the first-ever missions to protect national interests in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

The military operation, to be overseen by the navy's new submarine unit, will be carried out in conjunction with training exercises for naval officers who will for the first time be trained in submarine technology and underwater missions with Thai-owned submarines.

The six submarines are of the U-206 class. They are powered by diesel engines and electric motors and are designed for coastal patrol operations.

The German navy has used the six submarines for more than 30 years and is going to decommission them. However, the source said they can still be used for another 10 years.

A recent meeting between Mr Abhisit, Gen Prawit and navy commander-in-chief Adm Kamthorn Pumhiran was "satisfactory" as the premier supported the purchase, the source said.

It is part of a long-term weapons acquisition scheme granted by the Abhisit government to the army, navy and air force. They are allowed to draft plans to buy weapons over a 10-year period at a total cost of more than 500 billion baht.

Meanwhile, Gen Prawit also joined army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha in taking delivery of three Russian Mi-17V5 helicopters worth 998 million baht at the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bang Khen yesterday.

They and other senior military officers boarded the helicopters for a test flight for 20 minutes.

After the flight, Gen Prawit said the helicopters had proved efficient and cost-effective.

Gen Prayuth has told the Army Aviation Centre to work on the details of a plan to buy three more Mi-17V5 helicopters from Russia, Army Aviation Centre director Phittaya Krachangwong said.

Maj Gen Phittaya said the army needed six of the helicopters but Gen Prayuth suggested the newly acquired helicopters should first be used for six months to see how efficient they are before the army decides if it will buy another three of them.

Maj Gen Phittaya said the Russian-made helicopters may not be on a par with those made in the US, but they are efficient enough and have gained wide recognition. More than 20,000 of them are now in use in some 80 countries, he said.

The idea of buying the Russian-made helicopters was initiated by former army chief and leader of the 2006 coup Sonthi Boonyaratkalin.

The helicopters will be used for logistics and support purposes.