Showing 1 - 3 of 3
Weapons not needed now
Oped, Editorial, Published on 30/04/2021
» Army chief Narongpan Jitkaewtae this week raised eyebrows when he ruled out the possibility that the armed forces would delay or give up part of their arms purchase plan, shrugging off repeated calls by the public for more money from state coffers to be used to battle the impacts from the Covid pandemic.
Tank splurge beyond pale
News, Editorial, Published on 07/09/2019
» At a time when people are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn, the army's recent and planned multi-billion-baht purchases of "refurbished" tanks from the US have provoked the ire of many. The growing criticism is understandable. Taxpayers are still largely kept in the dark over why and how their money is spent on these and other military hardware and weapons listed in the military's post-2014 coup shopping cart.
Army budget out of control
News, Editorial, Published on 06/07/2019
» With Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha's return to power as prime minister and him being tipped to also become the defence minister, the downsizing of the military and defence budget and repealing the military conscription rule -- which were electoral campaign pledges of key opposition parties -- are unlikely to take place.