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Published on December 6, 2007

 No decision has yet been made about buying submarines to beef up the Royal Navy, Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said yesterday in reaction to comments by His Majesty the King on defence purchases on Tuesday.

Boonrawd said a meeting would be held soon to discuss the matter and the ministry would adhere to the king's advice.

He said the ministry hadn't decided whether to purchase submarines from Russia or any other country yet.

During his birthday speech on Tuesday, the King remarked how the ministry should not be afraid to purchase military hardware - including submarines.

His Majesty said arms procurement should be left to the next government as the current administration was drawing to a close.

On submarines, he said: "A Russian one may cost just half the price of a German-made or a US-made one, but if we bought one from Russia, the US, for instance, might be upset. However, Russian submarines are very good."

However, Boonrawd insisted that procurement was dictated by the new Constitution and would be carried out over a span of 10 years with the budget already estimated for future Cabinets.

The new junta-sponsored constitution stipulates that the armed forces will be adequately furbished with modern and hi-tech weapons, which was one of the controversial clauses under the charter.

Boonrawd said: "His Majesty's speech is in line with our concerns about the budget. With enough budget we can carry out our plans. However, if the budget is not adequate we shall apply the economic sufficiency principle and improve on existing wares for continued use.

"The arms procurement [for the future] is not too much. For example, the army request for procurement is just one third of what will enable troops to carry out their duties," he said.

Navy Commander Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanond, mean-while, said he was ready to follow His Majesty's advice about the possibility of purchasing Russian-made submarines. He said trying to acquire cheap but quality products was understandable.

A meeting to decide the matter would need to take place to consider the options, he said.

"I can't decide about the matter alone," Sathiraphan said, adding that the meeting would take place after royal ceremonies this week.

China and the US are two countries the navy is reportedly considering buying hardware from, but Sathiraphan denied having any country in mind and said he would need to see the budget.

He said the navy would follow the King's advice to build larger patrol boats by itself.

The Nation