The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) on Monday agreed to hand over its 360-rai Kantarat golf course to the Airports of Thailand Plc so it can be developed as an extension of Don Mueang airport.
The move is a response to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's vision statement to transform Thailand into a regional aviation hub.
The RTAF is currently working on details of the compensation in exchange for the handover of the golf course, voted one of a kind in the world, as it has a runway in the middle of the course that golfers may have to cross to play in the next hole.
The armed forces now own 37 golf courses -- dubbed sports development centres -- six hotels in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Samut Prakan, Chiang Mai and Phetchaburi, one boxing stadium in the Ram Intra area in Bangkok, and a horse-racing course in Nakhon Ratchasima.
On top of that, the army has almost 4.5 million rai of land. But only 460,000 rai are legally owned by the armed forces while the rest belong the state, which has effectively loaned them out in the interests of national security.
The army also controls the frequencies for TV Channels 5 and 7, as well as some 245 radio stations, generating more income.
The 37 golf courses and six hotels were earning the army an estimated 724 million baht in annual gross income per year, according to records from 2020. However, the net income was estimated at about 74 million baht a year once costs were subtracted.
The revenue derived from the golf courses and hotels is insignificant compared to the income paid by digital TV stations to use the army's MUX to broadcast programmes.
This charges a fee of 3.5 million baht/month for standard definition and 10.5 million baht/month for high-definition broadcasts.
The Royal Turf Club's horse-racing course has also been a source of substantial income for several army generals. Thanks to the Bureau of the Royal Household, which refused to extend the lease contract in 2019, the land was eventually turned into a public park to commemorate His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great.
But in reality, it remains unknown how much of this net income has been directed to serve the welfare of troops, rather then ending up in the pockets of certain individuals or agencies.
The wealth the army derives from its full range of enterprises remains a mystery, to the extent that it is doubtful its commander-in-chief is even fully aware of this because there are no financial statements that can be audited.
All attempts by private investigators to seek such information from the army through the Official Information Act have been met with stony silence or sketchy information reluctantly provided by the army.
Regardless, the RTAF's decision to part with its golf course for Don Mueang airport's expansion project constitutes a small step in the right direction.
Nonetheless, the armed forces need to make much more of a concerted effort if they wish to restore the trust and confidence of the general public.
And the first thing to do is to let go of all their business enterprises, be it golf courses, radio and TV spectrums or hotels -- none of which really has anything to do with national security or the protection of the monarchy.