Arms purchase plans get the chopPrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who also serves as the Defence Minister, has ordered the suspension of a plan by the armed forces to procure arms, including the Royal Thai Navy's plan to buy two submarines, according to a government source. The source said on Friday that Deputy Defence Minister Gen Chaichan Changmongkol met Gen Prayut on Friday to discuss a proposal to cut the military budget by 10% so that the money could instead be used to support the government's efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Gen Prayut has instructed the Defence Ministry to halt all arms procurement projects, including the navy's plan to buy its second and third submarines, as well as the air force's plan to upgrade its fleet of aircraft and buy new training aircraft.

Source: Bangkok Post April 10, 2020 23:15 UTC