Thailand’s Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) will launch investigation on the Royal Thai Navy’s plans to purchase three submarines from China after a petition which demanded for the audit of the purchase.
BANGKOK (Sputnik) — Thailand’s Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) will launch a probe into the Royal Thai Navy’s plans to purchase three submarines from China due to the strong criticism which came after the deal was struck, local media reported Friday.
The decision to launch the investigation was made after Srisuwan Janya, an activist and secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, filed a petition with the OAG which demanded for the audit of the purchase, according to the Bangkok Post newspaper.
According to Thai Auditor-General Pisit Leelavachiropas, the OAG will look into the potential impact of the deal and inform the required government bodies in case there are any concerns, the newspaper reported.
The OAG, according to Pisit, will not disclose all information on the case during the course of investigation, as some of it may constitute a state secret.
On April 18, Thailand’s cabinet of ministers approved, in secrecy, the decision to acquire a 13.5 billion baht ($390 million) yuan-class S26T submarine from China. This decision also included plans to purchase two more over the next 11 years, something that will cost the Thai government up to $1 billion. As a result, a large number of activists, politicians and members of society raised concerns over the impact of the submarine purchases on the national economy and defense budget, as the deal may deprive the country of its military budget in case of emergencies, while the expediency of the submarines in general were also questioned.
This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.