Democrat Party calls for review of Thai Navy frigate tender

Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, spokesperson for the Democrat Party, has called on the Thai government and the Ministry of Defense to review the Royal Thai Navy’s 17-billion-baht frigate procurement project. He raised concerns regarding a lack of competition and potential irregularities in the bidding process.

Kwanmuang noted that while the Navy previously committed to a 100% local shipbuilding requirement during budget deliberations, the actual Terms of Reference (TOR) reduced this requirement to only 20%. Out of six participating companies, five with the capacity for local shipbuilding were disqualified, leaving only one bidder to proceed.

The spokesperson suggested that the 20% specification coincidentally matches the minimum offer of the sole remaining bidder. He also pointed to the bidder's previous history involving technical issues with the HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Democrat Party is urging the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense to cancel the current auction and restart the process to ensure fair competition and support the domestic shipbuilding industry.