Suthep: Crowd control equipment purchase necessary

BANGKOK, 22 September 2009 (NNT) – Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has indicated the necessity of purchasing crowd control equipment, stressing that everything was made according to the normal procedure.

The cabinet’s meeting today will consider the proposal to purchase armaments of the defence ministry and the navy as well as crowd control equipment of the metropolitan police. The purchase thus far has been criticized for using a large budget while the proposal was made in the end of the fiscal year.

As a response, Mr Suthep insisted that the operation was conducted normally and explained that the process was done in accordance with the budget of each unit. He added that the purchase of crowd control equipment as proposed by the metropolitan police was necessary in order to ensure a standardized operation and safety for everyone.