The Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra wants to explore the possibility of acquiring through an account trade system a satellite system for geographical surveys when he visits Russia from Oct 16-18.
Mr Thaksin also wants the chiefs of the three armed forces, who will accompany him on the trip, to see Russian armaments for comparison with those of other manufacturers.
The premier yesterday said Thailand still had to rent a satellite for geographical surveys. It would be good if the country could acquire one at a reasonable price through an account trade system.
He stressed that a satellite for geographical surveys differed from a communications satellite.
At the moment, he said, Thailand must rely on an external service in order to get aerial photos.
A geographical satellite, costing about 2-3 billion baht, would enable authorities to regularly get updated aerial photos of, for example, economic crops, forest destruction and drug trafficking, the prime minister said.
Mr Thaksin also said he wanted the armed forces chiefs to see Russian weapons for comparison with those from manufacturers of other countries.
“If we are to buy Russian weapons, we will have to choose the ones that are the most suitable for us, and there must be a proper transfer of technology. Also, the prices must be reasonable,” he said.
Mr Thaksin added: “But this does not mean we intend to acquire weapons. We only want to make sure we will be able to buy the right and suitable ones when we want to. This is better than sitting at home and ordering things from traders’ catalogues.”
A source said Moscow would allow Bangkok to pay for Russian armaments with the US$40 million it still owed Thailand for a $70-million rice purchase. The other $30 million had already been paid in the form of satellite technology for the new Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.
Russia would also offer to sell a submarine, the source added. Russia had previously offered to lease two submarines to Thailand, but the project fell through.
