The Straits Times, January 27, 2007
by NIRMAL GHOSH
THAILAND'S Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pukbhasuk yesterday said a joint Thai-Singapore military exercise planned for July would go ahead as scheduled.
The air force chief, who is vice-chairman of the military Council for National Security, told reporters there was no truth to local media reports on Thursday, which said Thailand wanted to cancel an agreement with Singapore on using military training facilities in Kanchanaburi, west of Bangkok.
The exercise will proceed despite the diplomatic row between the two countries over former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to Singapore Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar this month.
Singapore is allowed access for training and joint military exercises under a bilateral defence cooperation pact. Thai armed forces are allowed reciprocal use of Singapore's military bases, Air Chief Marshal Chalit said.
'The existing agreement was made between the armed forces of both countries. What is the basis for cancelling it? We have come to rely quite a lot on Singapore's military facilities as a result of the bilateral pact,' he said.
Meanwhile, in the third such protest in just over a week, a small group of demonstrators carrying an effigy of Mr Thaksin gathered yesterday at the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok.
No untoward incident took place.
by NIRMAL GHOSH
THAILAND'S Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pukbhasuk yesterday said a joint Thai-Singapore military exercise planned for July would go ahead as scheduled.The air force chief, who is vice-chairman of the military Council for National Security, told reporters there was no truth to local media reports on Thursday, which said Thailand wanted to cancel an agreement with Singapore on using military training facilities in Kanchanaburi, west of Bangkok.
The exercise will proceed despite the diplomatic row between the two countries over former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to Singapore Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar this month.
Singapore is allowed access for training and joint military exercises under a bilateral defence cooperation pact. Thai armed forces are allowed reciprocal use of Singapore's military bases, Air Chief Marshal Chalit said.
'The existing agreement was made between the armed forces of both countries. What is the basis for cancelling it? We have come to rely quite a lot on Singapore's military facilities as a result of the bilateral pact,' he said.
Meanwhile, in the third such protest in just over a week, a small group of demonstrators carrying an effigy of Mr Thaksin gathered yesterday at the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok.
No untoward incident took place.
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