VALKRYIE
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The Nation July 3, 2015 1:00 am
Approval imminent for purchase of three Chinese-built subs - and we still haven't been told truthfully what they're for
The only thing standing in the way of the Royal Thai Navy's purchase of three Chinese-made submarines is the military-led government's Cabinet. In other words, approval for the purchase is just a formality. There has been no indication that the Cabinet will object to the deal or even raise any tough questions about the actual need for such sophisticated weaponry.
Unlike the Cabinet, however, there is no reason for citizens to remain silent on this crucial instance of the spendthrift military capitalising on the myth of mutual deterrence among nations. This is public money being spent, after all - a massive Bt36 billion, with tremendous maintenance and operational costs to follow. The Navy came close to getting its submarines during the Yingluck Shinawatra government, which nurtured friendly ties with the top brass for politics' sake and made good use of the foundation laid down by her brother Thaksin, the now-fugitive former premier.
But when the big bill for the subs was tabled amid dire financial circumstances, Yingluck balked at the final hurdle, and now the tab has been handed to the current administration. It's difficult to imagine the brass-heavy Cabinet hesitating, but history will not be kind to its members, simply because of the military nature of the incumbent regime. It is self-serving in the extreme.
We would have before us at this moment a fundamentally different scenario if the Navy or the government had ever made an earnest effort to convince taxpayers that the submarines are needed. For them to point out that other countries in the region have acquired submarines is hardly a sound rationale for Thailand following suit. Nor does it make sense that undersea craft are essential to protecting our territorial waters and natural marine resources.
One might justify Filipino submarines, given that country's direct confrontations with China in the South China Sea. But what modern enemies does Thailand face? Are Cambodia and Myanmar threatening incursions? Do the might of Malaysia and Indonesia need countering? Has piracy become such a problem that we need torpedoes? Could subs help in the remotest way to end human trafficking across the Andaman Sea?
And how would submarines safeguard our fish stocks, particularly when Thai fishing boats must routinely trespass into other countries' waters to find adequate catches?
Casting shadows over the discussion are the HTMS Chakri Naruebet, a helicopter carrier so little used that it's now widely dismissed as a white elephant, and the high-priced blimp that was supposed to help our soldiers in the deep South spot insurgents - in dense woodland.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha likely lacks the political confidence to say no to the Navy's request for subs. Can he and his Cabinet be brought to their senses? With protest barred in this benighted Kingdom, a public uprising is out of the question.
We are left only with the dim hope that the Cabinet might finally demand better answers from the Navy to justify such expenditure. Modernising the military for the sake of "national security" - given an acceptable definition of that term - is not necessarily a bad move. But we need to hear more than the usual rhetoric about keeping up with the neighbours. Their needs are significantly different than ours, especially those with vastly greater water surface to monitor.
Thailand, with its relatively limited sea area and depleted marine resources, ought to be more than able to mind its territory with coastline frigates and patrol boats. Such talk certainly rubs the brass the wrong way, with their dreams of hi-tech warfare, but the rest of us would feel much more comfortable.
Thailand should forget its love affair with submarines - The Nation
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