After the Thai government was condemned for possible human-rights abuses in using "toy" GT200 bomb detectors, the British administration came under fire yesterday for not acting quickly enough to halt worldwide exports of the UK-made device.
Thailand's case featured prominently on BBC's "Newsnight" programme following the Abhisit government's admission the GT200s didn't work.
The commentator said that although the UK government may have acted to protect UK forces or warn friendly nations following the BBC's highlighting of the device's problems, a question was raised as to "why the British government did not act sooner to stop it being sold at all".
Prof Bruce Hood, one of those who reviewed the device, told the BBC that when British authorities experimented and proved it was not working effectively, they should have stopped its sale right away.
"It was evaluated and shown to be nothing more than a dowsing rod. Now what makes it unacceptable is that at that point someone should have stepped in and shut the operation down," he said. "Instead, the company was allowed to go to other countries and exploit the naivety of these people."
Buyers might have also been made to believe the equipment was being marketed with the blessing of the British military, prompting a statement of denial, according to the BBC. Yet it was only a few weeks ago that governments worldwide received the UK government's clear-cut concern.
The UK Defence Ministry, contacted by the BBC, suggested it was the Foreign Office's duty to take action regarding international warnings.
Despite the ban, some devices were still being used at checkpoints in Baghdad as, a man told the BBC sarcastically, "a green light for terrorists to walk through".
Liberal Democrat David Heath sharply criticised the selective ban that affected only Iraq and Afghanistan. He said the apparent show of concern for the safety of British forces in those countries begged the question of why lives of people in other countries mattered less.
And such discrimination would come back to haunt British citizens themselves who may have to visit the countries where the ineffective device was being deployed to guarantee travellers' safety, he said.
