Purchase of submarines from China deferred to next year
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has decided to postpone a Bt22.5-billion deal to buy submarines from China to next year due to public concerns about the economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Monday (August 31) that purchase of the second and third submarines, that were expected to be acquired soon, would be deferred.
Moreover, the committee on the national budget for fiscal year 2021 had requested consideration of the process by the Royal Thai Navy and to discuss the matter with China.
Navy chief of staff Admiral Sittiporn Maskasem, who joined the emergency situation committee’s meeting, did not reveal any information to the media and went into the Office of the National Security Council.
