Opinion | ‘Deter Malaysia’: Thailand’s navy wants Chinese submarines as both bargaining chip and deterrent
- Thailand’s navy made a fresh funding push to complete the purchase of three Chinese submarines before a maritime agreement with Malaysia expires
- The boats would give Bangkok more leverage in negotiations and help protect economic interests of some US$77.2 billion per year, navy officials say
An existing co-exploitation agreement between Thailand and Malaysia governing the area in question is not set to expire until 2029, but at a two-hour press conference at the Thai navy’s headquarters on August 24 – hastily convened to defend its renewed push for 22.5 billion baht (US$723.3 million) in funding to cover the cost of the second and third submarines – it was revealed that all three were planned to be deployed before JDA renewal negotiations are set to begin.
If the submarines are operational by 2027, “Thailand will not be in a disadvantaged position” and have enhanced bargaining power when it starts negotiations with Malaysia on the JDA, said Vice Admiral Thalerngsak Sirisawas, head of the navy’s operations department.
Thailand and Malaysia have overlapping claims over some 7,250 square kilometres in the lower section of the Gulf of Thailand. In 1979, both governments signed a 50-year memorandum of understanding on equally sharing the costs and benefits of joint exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources in the area.
This JDA is administered by the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Authority, whose offices are in Kuala Lumpur. Its motto is “Brothers drinking from the same well”, but unfortunately some top brass in the Thai navy appear to have unpleasant feelings about their southern “brothers”.
Thalerngsak disclosed at the press conference that in early August a naval vessel belonging to a neighbouring country he would not name had encroached on Thai waters in the Andaman Sea. The vessel had been involved at the time in a mission to stop boats carrying Rohingya Muslims from approaching Malaysian waters.
