"The new satellite would dispel doubts about eavesdropping," Information and Communica-tions Technology Minister Sitthi-chai Pookaiyaudom said yesterday. He was assigned by the Council for National Security to examine the security issues arising from the sale of Shin Corp to Temasek Holdings, the investment arm of the Singaporean government, a year ago.

The deal allowed a foreign concern to gain management control over Shin Satellite, which holds a government concession to operate ThaiCom satellites, including one the military depends on for its internal communications and signalling.

Sitthichai said CNS chairman General Sonthi Boonyaratglin wanted to ensure the integrity of military communications.

Revoking the concession for satellite services without proof of compromised national security would be difficult and might rattle investor confidence, he said.

"For an immediate measure to prevent tampering with ThaiCom services, soldiers have been posted at the operator's uplink station," he said, hinting that the military might want a new satellite as a fixed solution for secured communications.