The military government has defended its decision to buy a 13.5-billion-baht Chinese submarine, saying it acted transparently and that the vessel is not only cheaper than other foreign competitors but comes with free missiles.
The cabinet approved the Royal Thai Navy's procurement of a Yuan-class S26T submarine from China on April 18, with the navy to pay out of its own coffers. The cabinet resolution was made public on Monday.
Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd, chief government spokesman, insists the submarine purchase was transparent, and that cabinet approval of the 13.56 billion baht deal wasn't withheld, but no one asked about it. (Post Today photo)
According to the broader plan, the navy will buy three Yuan-class subs costing a total of 36 billion baht in instalments over 11 years.
The administration has taken flak for not publicly announcing the decision in what critics say was an attempt to keep it out of the public eye. Others have questioned the quality of the Chinese submarines.
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Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, who is also the defence minister, insisted there was nothing untoward about the procurement project.
"We insist the procurement was handled transparently and is fully [under the jurisdiction] of the navy," Gen Prawit said.
He said that some of the printed material discussed at the cabinet meeting is classified and would not normally be publicly disclosed. "Any cabinet would handle such matters in this way," he said.
The document featuring the classified material deals with tactical and strategical subjects, making it a matter of national security, he said.
According to the defence minister, the navy decided to buy the submarine from China because it was considerably cheaper than those proposed by nine other countries. It also has an Air Turbine Pump (ATP) system which means it can stay submerged for up to 21 days.
"China also made a special offer to include other related military hardware and submarine-launched missiles free," said Gen Prawit.
A navy committee of up to 30 officers dealt with the procurement process fairly and thoroughly, according to the deputy premier.He said the vessel could be deployed within 200 nautical miles off the Andaman coast, including areas or depths that have not yet been properly explored.
"It could take five or six years before the first submarine is delivered," Gen Prawit noted.
Asked whether plans to procure the next two submarines could be derailed when the next administration takes over, the deputy premier said this was a possibility. In that case, the navy may have to reassign its budget for other purposes, he said.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the news conference after the cabinet meeting on April 18 did not touch on the issue of the vessel's procurement because there were too many other important issues to focus on. Moreover, none of the reporters raised any questions about it, he said.
Even though the navy and the Defence Ministry wanted the session to be kept secret for reasons of national security, "there is no hidden agenda about this", Lt Gen Sansern added.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said confidential sessions of cabinet meetings had been held for the last half a century, especially those involving classified information. In such cases, it is normal to forego a press conference, he said.
Former Pheu Thai Party MP Watana Muangsook lambasted the government's claims that the approval was not made public because of security concerns.
In a Facebook post, he said the approval was deliberately made in secret when people were preoccupied with celebrating Songkran.
Mr Watana said the government should spend its budget on more pressing concerns, such as those affecting people who are struggling financially.
Navy documents show China has paid much attention to researching military affairs over the past decade and that its military technology has become relatively advanced.
In terms of maintenance, the builder of the Chinese submarines is providing a two-year warranty for the entire vessel, compared to just one-year warranties offered by rival bidders, the paper says. It will also supply spare parts for eight years.