Committee backs navy’s frigate plan

Assembly will help domestic economy

PATHUM THANI: The House of Representatives committee on the armed forces has thrown its support behind the Royal Thai Navy’s (RTN) plan to procure a new frigate, saying the new ship, which will be assembled locally, will lead to more jobs for local workers.

The navy’s plan to purchase a new frigate hit a snag when a House subcommittee vetting the budget for the 2024 fiscal year rejected its 17-billion-baht budget request for the procurement.

Move Forward Party (MFP) MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, who chairs the committee, said at a seminar on the military’s role in local administration on Sunday that the House committee on the armed forces approved of the navy’s proposal because this frigate would be the first of its kind to be assembled in Thailand.

The assembly process will generate at least a billion baht in income for local workers, and the transfer of skills to local workers will help save maintenance budget in the long run, he said. “The government paid 15 billion baht for the HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej frigate a decade ago. The new frigate will be more expensive if it is not assembled in Thailand,” Mr Wiroj added.

When asked to explain why the committee decided to back the frigate procurement plan but rejected the navy’s plan to purchase a new submarine, Mr Wiroj said procuring a new frigate makes sense, but a new submarine is “unnecessary”.

“If the submarine procurement plan went ahead, every single baht we spent on the project would go towards the Chinese shipyard. It won’t create new jobs locally and enhance the skills of our workers,” he said.

Mr Wiroj said it was normal for armed forces branches to propose budgets for essential procurement, but the lack of transparency in such plans in the past has led to the loss of public trust in the process.

The House committee’s work is essential in putting the armed forces and the public on the same page, building trust between the parties by conducting a fair and transparent investigation into such plans, said Mr Wiroj.

When asked about Dhupatemiya Golf Course in Pathum Thani’s Lam Luk Ka district, Mr Wiroj said it would be better for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) to transfer the area for public use.

Pol Lt Gen Kamronwit Toopkrajang, chairman of the Pathum Thani PAO, said the province is ready to develop the area for locals.