Flash to the present, and the RTN in the past several decades has sought to redraw Thailand’s maritime security ambitions. With the contract being secured on May 5, the Thai Navy is only the second customer after Pakistan to openly announce the purchasing of such subs. While the Yuan-class submarine fits the Andaman Sea, the Thai submarine centre is located in Sattahip in the Gulf of Thailand. “Actually, the military budget has increased annually since the 2006 coup. Each annual military budget increase represents a snowball effect, which is hard to stop in later years – it is self-perpetuating,” he said.

Source: The Nation Bangkok May 08, 2017 22:41 UTC