Bangkok: The Royal Thai Navy has reaffirmed the transparency and integrity of its frigate procurement project, emphasizing that the process is free from rigged specifications and is conducted according to established Terms of Reference (TOR).
According to Thai News Agency, Admiral Pairoj Fuengchan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy, addressed public concerns about the 17 billion baht procurement project at a briefing held at the Royal Thai Navy Auditorium. He outlined that the process is being monitored by public observers at every stage to ensure transparency and adherence to legal principles. Admiral Fuengchan highlighted the importance of the frigates for safeguarding national maritime interests and stated that the procurement decisions are based on factual information without any interference.
Admiral Korawit Chayarathee, Commander of the Royal Thai Fleet and Chairman of the project's executive committee, provided further details. He revealed that out of six companies that submitted bids, only one met the qualifications due to others failing to provide necessary documents such as past financial statements or only agreeing to provide ship designs upon contract awarding, which violated the TOR. Despite these challenges, the Royal Thai Navy managed to negotiate a price reduction of 270 million baht, bringing the final cost to 16,730 million baht. Additionally, the project includes rights to technology transfer and ship design copyrights. Although the contract signing is temporarily on hold due to an appeal, the Royal Thai Navy is committed to adhering to the appeals committee's decision and is prepared to provide all required information.