Non-Subscriber Extract
People Power Party set to continue military modernisation in Thailand, says analyst
By Jon Grevatt
06 February 2008
The pace of modernising Thailand's military is unlikely to be diminished by the appointment of Samak Sundaravej as both prime minister and defence minister, a leading defence analyst told Jane's on 4 February.
During its final few months in office, Thailand's previous interim government - led by military-appointed Surayud Chulanont - approved the purchase of defence equipment worth about THB31 billion (USD995 million).
The equipment included the first six of 12 Gripen JAS 39 multirole combat aircraft; 96 BTR-3E1 8x8 amphibious armoured personnel carriers; rifles and light machine guns from Israel Military Industries; and Chinese-built C-802 coastal defence missiles.
Last week, following a general election that was held late last year, Chulanont was replaced by Sundaravej, whose People Power Party won the majority of seats in the lower house. Sundaravej named himself as defence minister on 3 February.
An associated professor from the political science faculty at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University told Jane's on 4 February that Sundaravej, in his dual role, is unlikely to alter Thailand's defence-procurement policies as they will continue to be dominated by the military.
"The appointment of one or two individuals - even in roles as important as prime minister and defence minister - are unlikely to change Thailand's procurement policies," said Dr Panitan Wattanayagorn, who headed a special working group on defence for former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai.