The quotation on this one reads: 'Submarines are very useful in the Andaman Sea, up to 200 miles offshore.' But to give the benefit of the doubt, I would be more than happy to hear the navy's reasoning. The uproar over the deal has been severe enough for the military regime to go into defensive mode. To make matters worse, the current administration has started to come out and verbally attack individuals who have raised their voices against the deal. I guess the reason could be that if the ship goes to other countries, foreigners would see its bad condition.

Source: Bangkok Post April 29, 2017 22:30 UTC