Thai PM Urged to Ask China to Halt Tank Shipments to Cambodia

By Thai Newsroom Reporters THAI RUAM PALANG MP Wasawat Poungponsri today (July 17) advised Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to suspend delivery of a supplementary batch of Chinese-built, main battle tanks to Cambodia for the sake of Thailand’s border security reasons. The elected lawmaker/secretary-general of the splinter opposition party suggested that the prime minister, who is currently paying an official visit to China and accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Foreign Minister Sihasak Puangketkaeo, ultimately call on the Chinese leader to suspend the planned delivery of the additional 40 T59D tanks to Cambodia which had earlier waged war against Thailand along the shared border last year. The Cambodian army has reportedly deployed 90-plus T59D tanks, many of which were located in proximity to Thailand’s lower-northeastern border areas. Besides, the Thai Ruam Palang MP insisted that a sum of 2.68 billion baht in partial funding for the Thai navy’s procurement of a Chinese-built S26T submarine for fiscal 2027 be indefinitely suspended due to budget constraints whilst possibilities of armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia would certainly take place on land and hardly occur in the sea. The S26T submarine, a derivative of the Russian-built Kilo class for which any engine other than the embargoed German-built MTU396 has yet to be installed, has been reported to cost some 13 billion baht and rescheduled for delivery to Thailand in late 2028. In addition to the Chinese submarine, supposed to be Thailand’s first in six decades, a Chinese-built frigate might probably be considered alongside a South Korean – or Türkiyean-built frigate, among others, for procurement by the Thai navy. Wasawat currently sits on an extraordinary House committee scrutinising the 3.78 trillion baht budget legislation prepared by the Bhumjaithai-led government. This and Front Page: Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul accompanied by his wife, Thananon Charnvirakul, and delegation arrived at Shanghai Airport last night and were greeted by the Chinese city’s Deputy Mayor Mr. Shen Jie and Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office, Shanghai, Mr. Xu Kai. Photos – Naewna