Only one third of about 300,000 soldiers are equipped with bullet-proof vests, says the army chief of staff Gen Chatchalerm Chalermsuk.
Gen Chatchalerm said supply of the equipment was hampered by the high cost, a limited budget and a need to renew the gear every five years, as well as manufacturers constantly releasing new models.
He was speaking after three national artists — painters Chalermchai Kositpipat and Chuang Moolpinit and writer Prapassorn Sevikul — donated 50 soft body protective vests to soldiers working in the insurgency-plagued South on Thursday. Gen Chatchalerm accepted the donation at army headquarters.
“We cannot afford to buy bulletproof vests for every soldier nationwide because it requires a very high budget. [The army] must look after the borders near Preah Vihear temple and Myanmar, not just the lower South," he said.
“I thank the private sector for donating the vests,” he said, “But I would like to clarify this issue to create an understanding” about the lack of availability of military body vests for southern troops.
He said buying protective gear was a time-consuming process, as it was for all military equipment or weapons. For example, the delivery of tanks and armoured vehicles takes about three years after the placement of an order.
“The public often misunderstands that the government gives the army everything it requests, whether it is protective vests, bomb detectors or x-ray systems. We don’t have it all because of the limited military budget," Gen Chatchalerm said, adding government funds must be allocated to develop other sectors of the country.
Mr Chalermchai called on affluent Thais to donate protective gear to soldiers, especially hard body armour that can protect against high-powered weapons as the soft armour he, Mr Chuang and Mr Prapassorn contributed could only stop bullets from most handguns.
Mr Chalermchai also donated one million baht to help the army buy costly hard vests.