Federal officials and the military are tussling over the underwater purchase plan.
The decision Pheu Thai Party, which is a member of the army, has opposed its procurement strategy since it was in the opposition camp.
Sutin Klungsang, who represents Pheu Thai, announced he had put the military’s underwater sourcing strategy on hold with China and rather advocate for a ship.
China’s inability to put a European motor inside an ordered underwater contributed to this selection.
Swap package
Mr. Sutin is now focusing on bringing the administration’s plan to purchase options to the underwater to its final stages this month.
This follows his recent deals in China next month.
After the Chinese were unable to meet an engine installation requirement, Mr. Sutin said China was open to the Thai proposal to purchase two offshore patrol vessels ( OPVs ) or a frigate instead of a S26T Yuan-class submarine.
Mr. Sutin expressed confidence that the discussions had been finalized this month despite the fact that it was unlikely to be possible to reach a definitive agreement after just one discussion.
The new package would then be submitted for government approval this month, he said.
Mr. Sutin said he made a number of suggestions during the conference in China with three things in mind: the needs of the navy, the government’s interests, and the need to make sure the 7 billion plus baht paid for the underwater does not go to waste.
The Thai group explained to China that the Thai public was concerned about the reliability of the Chinese-made website because it had never been used before.
China was open to the switch proposal, but it insisted that the precise prices and models of the warship and OPVs would need to be discussed, according to Mr. Sutin, noting that as long as the plan was acceptable, it was unlikely to hurt diplomatic relations.
However, the shift has raised fears at China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co ( CSOC), which was contracted to build a submarine under a government-to-government deal with Thailand.
The primary sub’s construction was reportedly already half done. Building was put on hold because of the engine issue, and the Covid-19 crisis had caused delays.
The original deal, signed in 2017 for a S26T Yuan-class underwater, stipulated a German-made gasoline engine. The program was changed, however, after Germany turned down its offer to sell the website because it was classified as a military/defence product.
The limitation came in response to the EU’s recommendation in 1989 to implement an arms embargo on China. Beijing therefore proposed a Chinese-made website as an alternative, but it did never materialise.
Sutin: ‘ Frigate did materialise’
Navy’s possibilities
A cause at the Defense Ministry reported that the military has two options to consider when a ministry panel reviews the fleet’s purchase of a Chinese submarine.
The first is that, according to the cause, the navy needs to get cabinet approval to change the contract to allow the submarine to have a Chinese CHD620 engine in place of a European MTU396 engine.
The panel also suggested that government acceptance is also required if the military wants to take control of the thread after the original date ended on December 30th, 2012, the source said.
The screen came to the conclusion that Thailand deserved more payment than the CSOC’s offer to pay 200 million ringgit in payment for the submarine’s design delay, according to the source.
The army may consider canceling the submarine purchasing contract and demanding damages from the company, according to the source.
However, according to the cause, the majority of section members supported the military moving forward with the sub procurement project.
Frigate resistance
The purchasing task for frigates is another problem that could also cause friction between the state and the navy.
The government was charged in parliament early this month by the opposition Move Forward Party ( MPP ) of attempting to defraud budget funds for the navy’s purchase of a new frigate.
The problem, known as the” change money” incident, was raised by Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, an MFP record MP, on the last day of a public debate in which no condemnation vote was cast.
The” change money” scandal occurs when a buyer makes a purchase at a predetermined, exorbitant price and the seller returns the amount of money, which is the difference between the actual value and the exorbitant one, to the consumer.
In this instance, it is viewed as an admitted e-money laundering.
Mr. Wiroj claimed a military applicant informed him that a government employee had attempted to contact the army to request” shift money” from the frigate’s purchase, but the navy refused.
The source claimed that the military’s ask for a budget to purchase the new ship in the 2024 fiscal season was turned down by a particular House council vetting the budget.
The council also rejected the military’s request for a budget after it made a decision to accept it.
The new ship, which will be assembled locally as per the procurement plan, is important to the navy’s main goal, according to Mr. Wiroj, because HTMS Rattanakosin is scheduled to be decommissioned in two years.
If this goes away, the country will have only three interceptors in company, which may not be enough for the military’s sea military expeditions, he said.
Additionally, Mr. Wiroj added that the new ship may become the first of its kind to be built in Thailand.
He claimed that local workers will gain employment and income from the assembly process and that local workers will benefit from local workers ‘ technical expertise in shipping.
” The rejection of the budget ask means a lost opportunity, and the military may have to wait until 2026 before it can request a finances once,” he said.
However, Mr. Sutin argued that the navy’s purchase of a frigate may occur during another fiscal years rather than the current 2024 fiscal year.
Prior to its planned five-year ship purchasing plan, the navy had requested 17 billion ringgit from the 2024 finances. Around 1. In the first year, 7 billion ringgit did be spent.
According to a cause, the fresh ship would be stationed along the Andaman coast.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said during the discussion that Mr. Wiroj may provide evidence to support his promises in response to Mr. Wiroj’s assertions regarding the” change money” incident.
All eyes are on how the connections between the state, and especially Mr. Sutin and army chief Adm Adung Phan-iam, who retires on Sept. 30, may turn out, in light of the discussion surrounding the submarine and fleet purchasing.
Wiroj: ‘ Change money a big deal’