The navy is continuing its search for the last five missing crew members from the corvette HTMS Sukhothai, 17 days after the ship sank.
Navy chief Adm Choengchai Chomchoengpaet, senior navy officers, and the Thai Navy Wives Association invited the families of the 23 crew members who died in the tragedy to present them with their compensation on Tuesday.
After having a conversation with the families, Adm Choengchai then gave a report on the search's progress, which had on Tuesday reached day 17.
The search for the five missing sailors around the islands of Chumphon and Prachuap Khiri Khan continues, with a request for reinforcements to local administrative organisations.
Adm Choengchai also gave an update on the investigation and said that two teams would investigate the tragedy.
One team will focus on the cause of the ship's sinking, while another will focus on the rescue efforts.
The surviving crew members and others, such as the crew of a cargo ship and an oil tanker that assisted in rescue efforts, will be involved in the investigation, he said.
Adm Choengchai said that he could not yet say when the investigation would come to an end, adding that he does not want to rush the process.
He said he was unable to provide information on some issues rumoured to have contributed to the sinking of HTMS Sukhothai, such as claims of a lack of ship's engineers on the day of the sinking and alleged flawed repairs carried out on the vessel from 2018-2020.
Those issues are among those now under investigation, Adm Choengchai said.
In response to a comment by Deputy Pheu Thai Party leader Yuttapong Charasathien, who said that the ship had the same engine as Chinese submarines, Adm Choengchai insisted that HTMS Sukhothai had an MTU engine from Germany that is commonly used in both surface vessels and submarines.
Adm Choengchai answered a question on efforts to salvage HTMS Sukhothai, saying that this is now in the planning stage with a focus primarily on budget and technical aspects.
He said that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is being updated with reports and investigation findings regarding the tragedy.
HMTS Sukhothai sank on the night of Dec 18 with 105 people on board as it was patrolling in rough seas off Prachuap Khiri Khan's Bang Saphan district.
Of the 105 crew, 76 were rescued, while 24 others have been found dead, and five remained missing as of Tuesday.
The sunken corvette lies on the seabed about 40 metres below the surface off Bang Saphan district, Prachuap Khiri Khan.
