Thailand spends $30 million on fake bomb detectors

Washington Times:
Thailand’s security forces bought more than 1,500 fake “bomb detectors” for $30 million, investigators say, and the armycurrently deploys them against Islamist rebels despite a U.S. Embassywarning that the devices are as useless as “a toy.”
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) announced this month that the manufacturers and distributors of the devices fraudulently sold them to Thailand's military, narcotics bureau, airports and other security agencies. The DSI has sent the case to the National Anti-Corruption Commission for further investigation.
About a dozen government agencies purchased 1,576 the hand-held units, called GT200 and Alpha 6.
Despite the investigation and the U.S. Embassy warning, Thailand’s top defense officials insist the devices work.
“Do not say the GT200 used as a bomb detector in the far south does not work,” Defense Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat said last week, referring to southern Thailand where 40,000 troops are fighting Muslim separatists. “It has often detected explosives.”
More than 5,000 people have died in the conflict since 2004, and many were killed by bombs.
... 
My recollection is that Iraq bought similar phony bomb detectors and the Iraqis were also hard to convince that the devices did not work.   Perhaps they hope that the bad guys will be deterred by the presence of the gadgets. But, I would not want to bet my life on that.

Comments

  1. Latest on fraud charges in the UK

    http://ade651gt200scamfraud.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Should Republicans go ahead and add Supreme Court Justices to head off Democrats

29 % of companies say they are unlikely to keep insurance after Obamacare

Bin Laden's concern about Zarqawi's remains