OKAY SOUGHT FOR MILITARY PURCHASES

       A request for a huge new defence budget for the Army and the Navy is being submitted to the Cabinet today for initial approval.
       In addition, the Royal Thai Police is seeking to buy 16,045 sets of antiriot gear worth Bt48 milllion, including 18,445 of a special type of rubber baton at Bt1,000 apiece.
       The Army wants to buy 1,474 2.5tonne Jeepstyled vehicles. The selected model, a Japanese brand, is priced at Bt3,388,500 apiece, totalling Bt4.99 billion.
       The Navy wants to enhance its antisubmarine capability, by modifying a model of a USmade sea helicopter and buying a number of sonar dip buoys at Bt989million, in a tiedover allocation for the next two years.
       In addition, three coastal patrol ships are being sought at a cost of Bt1.6 billion, also in a tiedover two year allocation.
       To keep paying for defence contracts, both past deals and those in the future, the Defence Ministry is asking for another Bt3.04 billion. Of the entire amount, Bt610 million will be spent this year, with the remainder in the next three years in tiedover allocations.