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BANGKOK: Thailand delayed the purchase of two submarines from China for $ 724 million on Monday (Aug. 31), following public outrage over the controversial deal as the kingdom’s economy stagnates due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Under a 2015 agreement, Thailand was one of the first countries to purchase Chinese naval hardware and finalized the purchase of three submarines in 2017, with the first expected to be delivered in 2023.
A request for two more for 22.5 billion baht ($ 724 million) was approved earlier this month by a parliamentary subcommittee, a move that sparked public outcry as Thailand battles an economy in freefall.
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Angry Thais took to social media to criticize the deal, and the hashtag “People don’t want submarines” was trending on Twitter.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri announced on Monday that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, also Defense Minister, had “requested the Navy to consider a delay” in the purchase of the two additional submarines.
“The navy will negotiate with China to delay it for another year,” Anucha told reporters.
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Prayut’s army-aligned administration is under fire from almost daily protests demanding his resignation and a complete reform of the government, which the protesters consider illegitimate.
Thailand’s economy is also experiencing one of its worst periods in over 20 years, contracting 12.2% in the second quarter as tourism and export-driven sectors have been hit hard by the pandemic. .
“The prime minister has prioritized the concern of the public who is concerned about the economy,” Anucha said.
In addition to questioning military purchases and the government’s handling of the economy, the burgeoning pro-democracy movement is also calling for reforms to the impregnable monarchy, a subject that was once taboo in the kingdom.
Increasingly audacious requests from youth-led protesters have drawn ire from the camps of the arch-royalists, who have held counter-demonstrations to demand that the protesters “not touch the monarchy.”
More than 1,000 protesters, mostly older, dressed in yellow shirts, considered a royal color, gathered in a stadium on Sunday, bearing portraits of the super-wealthy King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
On Monday, they sent a letter to the Japanese embassy in Bangkok demanding the extradition of prominent government critic Pavin Chachavalpongpun, who started a private Facebook group to hold frank discussions about the monarch.
