[ad_1]
The AFP news agency reported on August 31 that Thailand decided to postpone the purchase of two Chinese diesel-electric submarines for a total value of almost 725 million dollars, after public opinion reacted to the controversial project while the economy was affected. . affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under the 2015 deal, Thailand is one of the first countries to buy submarines from China and plans to buy three.
For 2017, the Thai military signed a contract to purchase the first Yuan-class submarine (Yuan, S26T) with China Shipbuilding & Offshore International.
The decision to spend money to buy the second and third cars was approved in August by a subcommittee in parliament, a move that frustrated public opinion due to the difficult economic context in the country during the pandemic.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri announced on August 31 that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha, also Defense Minister, had asked the Navy to consider postponing the purchase of the next two submarines. “The Navy will negotiate with China to postpone one more year. The Prime Minister gives priority to people concerned about the economy, ”Anucha said.
Earlier, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha claimed that he had organized everything to buy Chinese submarines regardless of whether the budget was approved by the House of Representatives.
