Military, Want, More, Money

The Nation reports:

High-ranking military officials yesterday requested a 17.8-per-cent budget increase for 2009 - Bt25 billion more than in fiscal 2008.

The military cited the need to improve its competence and maintain superiority over its counterparts in neighbouring Laos and Cambodia.

Royal Thai Navy commander Admiral Satirapan Keyanon, Royal Thai Air Force commander Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pukpasuk and Defence Ministry permanent secretary General Winai Pattiyakul gave reasons to the House special committee scrutinising the budget as to why they requested an allocation of up to Bt169.09 trillion [BP: They mean billion] or 1.68 per cent of the country's GDP.

Winai said the ministry's budget had been cut over the past nine years as the country was hit hard by economic crises, while the military lacked equipment and maintenance funds. At the same time, the country faced new security threats. The military needed to secure new weapons because it could not depend on the low efficiency of the old weaponry.

"Our survey found that our military power is lower than that of Singapore and South Korea but a bit higher than Cambodia and Laos,'' he said.

Satirapan said the Navy has spent Bt120 million to maintain HTMS Chakri Naruebet, Thailand's first and only aircraft carrier, keeping it ready for use in warfare and social functions such as disaster relief.

BP: Where do I start?

First, the military budget went up from 86 to 143 billion baht under the Surayud-led government yet the Defence Permanent Secretary claims that the "ministry's budget had been cut over the past nine years".

Second, on the military needing to "maintain superiority over its counterparts in neighbouring Laos and Cambodia" and the Thai military's survey finding that Thai military power is "a bit higher than Cambodia and Laos". Below, are some Australian government charts and information (from 2007).

For Laos:



For Cambodia:



Source: Defence Intelligence Organisation (4MB PDF)

BP: Thailand's defence budget so overwhelms its two neighbours that there is no rationale a 17.8% increase to its budget on these grounds. Comparing Thailand to Laos, would be like the US military saying it needs a funding increase to stave of the threat posed by the Thai military.

Now, if they were to make an argument about the money being spent in the South and increased fuel costs, they could probably get a small increase - I should ntoe that Samak recently confirmed the purchase of the 96 armored personnel carriers for 3.8 billion (Source: Samak and the Military, Matichon, July 25, Page 2), so it is not as if the military are suffering now.

Real Life Thailand has a post on this issue with a good quote.