From: mptj@vax5.cit.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Re: Bangkok Post Dec 15: Top brass defends Defence budget
Date: 17 Dec 92 06:42:34 GMT
Distribution: soc
Organization: Cornell University

In article <9212141621.AA01861@ipied.tu.ac.th>,
kamol@ipied.tu.ac.TH (Kamol Hengkietisak) writes: 
>  
> DEFENCE Minister Vijit Sookmark yesterday defended the Armed 
> Forces against criticism about their large budget and their secret 
> fund for which there is no public accountability.
>  
> The minister argued that the military budget was not very big in 
> comparison to the equipment that they must buy to do the job of 
> defending the country.
>  
> He cited the high cost of warplanes, pointing out this was 
> necessary in order to provide the Royal Thai Air Force with the 
> capability of defending the sky against enemy aircraft.
>  
> Gen Vijit revealed that in the future there will also be a need to 
> ask for a bigger budget to develop the Armed Forces and purchase 
> high-technology equipment.
>  
> He insisted that the secret fund was not too big and cannot be 
> revealed for security reasons. He said that the fund is requested 
> only to the level where it is necessary.

OK, so planes cost a lot. But why does it have to be secret? Is it so that 
the unseen "enemy" would not know about it, or so that the Thai people
would not know? As an example to the latter, I would like to say that 
loading some 100 or so bodies on GMC's and hiding them where they cannot be
found for at least 7 months is an expensive enterprise.

>  
> Gen Vijit said that MPs realise the necessity of the fund and 
> cited Chart Pattana Party leader Gen Chatichai Choonhavan as 
> saying so in interviews with newspapers.
>  
> He said that he was not worried about Opposition criticism on the 
> issue and was prepared to explain it to Parliament during the 
> budget debate on Wednesday and Thursday.
>  
> Asked about the negative image of Thailand in the international 
> community with regard to its apparent reluctance to enforce the 
> United Nations' trade sanctions against the Khmer Rouge, the 
> general said that the military was ready to look after the 
> Thai-Cambodian border where the sanction is to be enforced and was 
> coordinating with other concerned ministries to this end.
>  
Given the military's known reputaion, what assurances can he give 
that they would not simply look after their profitable business
with their old pals and collegues, the Khmer Ruje?


> The minister declined to elaborate, citing the Prime Minister's 
> call that officials refrain from commenting on the issue and let 
> only the Foreign Minister speak so as to avoid confusion.
>  
> He said that the Thai Armed Forces, through the Supreme Command, 
> was giving full cooperation to UNTAC to establish peace in 
> Cambodia and was also seeing to the repatriation of Cambodian 
> refugees, some 200,000 of whom have now gone home from refugee 
> camps in Thailand.
>  
> Gen Vijit said Thailand had suffered for the past 13 years from 
> the fighting in Cambodia and as a neighbour and a member of the 
> UN, it has always provided assistance according to budgetary 
> capability.
>  
> Thai soldiers have swept mines in Cambodia and spent 145 million 
> baht to build a road from Klong Luek to Sisophon in Cambodia, he 
> said.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai