BANGKOK: The government has defended its recent move to purchase tanks worth US$221 million from Ukraine.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan o-cha, who is also defence minister, said the deal was sealed through a company that acted as a country representative.
He was replying to questions raised by Pheu Thai MP Saranwut Saranket during a censure debate.
According to the Bangkok Post, Saranwut wanted to know why the deal was not done as a government to government transaction and also if Ukraine had been fined for the four-year delay in delivery.
“The question of whether this deal should be a government togovernment contract was to be discussed between the two countries, but then it was dropped.
“As for the delay, it was because of conflicts in Ukraine at the time,” said Prayut.
Deputy Defence Minister, Chaichan Changmongkol, meanwhile, said they purchased the tanks to replace the old ones that were more than six decades old and kept breaking down.
He said the procurement process had actually started in 2011 before the coup-maker National Council for Peace and Order came into being in 2014.
“The delay was caused by the Russian military presence in Ukraine, which was why Thailand chose not to demand any compensation,” he said, insisting the tanks were brand new.
Prayut also denied the opposition’s accusation that he had taken a team of 35 officials to recently inspect the tanks, saying the trip had served other purposes too.
“We were invited by the Ukrainian government, and decided to inspect the tanks while there,” he said.
Prayut also countered allegations that the army was buying more weaponry to ramp up its capabilities in preparation for a coup in the future.
He said the army has been introducing more technology in their operations in order to save on resources and manpower, while delivering better military performance.
The prime minister added that every purchase of weapons was done carefully within the available budget, adding that the military has not gone on a spending spree.
He added that the price of weapons might seem steep, but they had been bought with long-term maintenance schemes.