A lawmaker with the opposition Thai Sang Thai Party (TST) warned a House committee against approving the Royal Thai Air Force's (RTAF) plan to procure digital transceivers, saying the price quoted in the proposal is more than double the item's market price.
Chatchawan Paettayathai, a TST MP for Roi Et, said he was informed by a source within the RTAF that the Directorate of Communications and Electronics is planning to procure 40 Jotron TR-7750 digital transceivers at 956,250 baht per unit, or 38.25 million baht in total.
At a House meeting to discuss the budget for the next fiscal year, Mr Chatchawan aired his concerns, saying that a simple online search would show that the price quoted in the proposal is more than double the item's actual market price.
Mr Chatchawan said the model in question can be found online for just 367,500 baht per unit, which means 40 units should only cost about 14.7 million baht.
He said the price can go even lower if the RTAF decides to buy in bulk.
"According to the information I've received and verified, if the RTAF's purchase plan is approved, the country stands to lose at least 23.55 million baht.
"The question is, who will benefit from the price difference?" Mr Chatchawan said.
The MP also called on the RTAF commander, ACM Punpakdee Pattanakul, and other senior officials to explain why they decided to pick a vendor who is selling the transceivers at such a high price.
Furthermore, he said, the procurement plan shows the armed forces still aren't committed to fulfilling their promise to source weapons and ammunition from local manufacturers, in line with the government's policy.
In a separate development, army spokesman Col Ritcha Suksuwanont has responded to Move Forward Party (MFP) MP Jirat Thongsuwan's remark that land owned by the Treasury Department but managed by the army is not being managed transparently, as nobody can verify what they are being used for.
Col Ritcha said the army only utilises the lands for the sake of the country's security and development, and the usage of such plots always complies with royal property regulations.
He said the public is barred from accessing information on the land due to national security and military confidentiality reasons.