Plan to buy old U-boats sparks signs of conflict

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Plan to buy old U-boats sparks signs of conflict

Published: 28/04/2011 at 03:55 AM
Newspaper section: News

Signs of conflict have emerged over the navy's 7.7-billion-baht plan to procure second-hand German submarines as a top aide to the defence minister has insisted the procurement plan has yet to be approved.

"The Defence Council didn't approve the submarine purchase, only acknowledged it," Noppadon Inthapanya, secretary to Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, said yesterday.

On Monday, navy commander Kamthorn Phumhiran spent almost two hours outlining the plan to buy six second-hand U-206 A submarines worth 7.7 billion baht to the Defence Council.

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: Writer: Wassana Nanuam; Position: Reporter

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somchai
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Discussion 7 : 28/04/2011 at 12:53 PM7
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Based on the latest attacks by Cambodia the submarines will come handy when resolving any marine border issues with Hun Sen.
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faceless1
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Discussion 6 : 28/04/2011 at 12:38 PM6
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@Discn 5: continuing in that vein of thought, they could redirect the subs budget to upgrading the state education system. But again, unless commoners are able to break through the career glass ceiling, what is the point?
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geoffo
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Discussion 5 : 28/04/2011 at 12:03 PM5
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d1 pointoffew

You are right, what a good plan,and not only that , when it is doing the loop over southern Thailand it could zoom up and over the north and keep an eye on those pesky Cambodians.

No need to pay extra for cameras either, the Shuttle could tow the blimp which has all the camera one could ever need.

Better still , both could park on the aircraft carrier for security.
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kasper
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Discussion 4 : 28/04/2011 at 10:10 AM4
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By any chance, did the navi spend any of those 2 hours explaining what the submarines are to be used for?

The only explanation I have heard so far is that the submarines are needed in order to train thai soldiers how to operate a submarine. But unless they actually need to use a submarine, then why learn how to operate it?

We can also buy a spaceshuttle as disc 1 sarcastically suggests. Then we could train astronauts. But again, unless Thailand has plans to fly into space, then what is the point?

I think it will be hard to convince anyone that this is not a 7.7 billion baht blimp!
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OldThaiHand
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Discussion 3 : 28/04/2011 at 09:31 AM3
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Given the huge amount of criticism of this plan, it wouldn't surprise me if this is a face-saving exit strategy. If subs are needed at all, which is highly doubtful, it makes more sense to buy from China or Korea, both in terms of cost and maintenance, not to mention shelf-life.
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Asian Hand
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Discussion 2 : 28/04/2011 at 09:23 AM2
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I guess the broker(s) on this deal need to reassess who else is needed for an approval. Looks like the gross margin on the sale will be eroded a bit more. Should this not go through I wonder if you have to refund a kickback?
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pointoffew
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Discussion 1 : 28/04/2011 at 04:00 AM1
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Boys, did you hear that? I just heard that the US Space Shuttle is for sale and could help identifying and tracing most if not all insurgents in South Thailand.
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Plan to buy old U-boats sparks signs of conflict | Bangkok Post: news