Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha elaborates on the 2021 budget bill at the parliament in Bangkok on Wednesday. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is defending the decision to include the procurement of weapons for the armed forces in the budget bill for 2021, after opposition criticism during Wednesday's first reading in parliament. Opposition members took turns debating whether the Defence Ministry should have a 223.4-billion-baht budget next year. He said military technology constantly gets updated, and it is important for the kingdom's armed forces to have modern arms. "The state budget is a crucial mechanism to steer and spur the dying economy, but I found no parts in this budget bill that serve this purpose," he said.

Source: Bangkok Post July 01, 2020 22:30 UTC