The intrusion of a fighter jet from Myanmar into Thai airspace last month has provided ammunition for another political attack against the government, which insisted it has been defending the nation’s territorial integrity to its full capacity.
The government has felt the wrath of social media and the opposition for reacting too slowly to the incursion of a MiG-29 in Tak’s Phop Phra district on June 30.
The jet was deployed during Myanmar’s domestic conflict along the common border. However, the incursion exposed the government to mockery and fierce criticism for its alleged ineptitude in mounting a sufficient air defence against a potential security threat.
Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s explanation also failed to calm the critics. He said Myanmar’s fighter jet was merely executing a turn that happened to violate the airspace.
Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Commander ACM Napadej Dhupatemiya immediately called his Myanmar counterpart to protest.
Myanmar has since apologised, Gen Prayut said.
Incursion ‘an accident’
“Myanmar’s air force chief offered his apology and explained the intrusion was inadvertent. He put it down to poor visibility,” ACM Napadej said.
The area where the incursion occurred was adjacent to a strip of Myanmar straddled by Thai territory. The strip is inhabited by ethnic minority communities. It is sometimes hard for jet pilots to keep strictly to the jagged borderline, the air force commander said.
But the air force has issued a formal protest via its attache so Myanmar will be more careful in future.
The Defence Ministry submitted a letter of complaint to Myanmar authorities and called for compensation via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The MFA’s Department of Southeast Affairs also summoned Myanmar’s ambassador to discuss these concerns.
A source close to the matter said Myanmar was reinforcing four battalions to seize Karen strongholds along the border zones.
“It hurts to read comments on social media condemning our air force and belittling our defence capability.
“They have gone so far as to ridicule the air force as serving no useful purpose except for lining up its jets for the National Children’s Day stunt,” he added.
The air force chief made it clear the country’s air defence was in tip-top shape, able to detect any intrusion into Thai airspace.
“I’m as furious as anyone. But we have to be level-headed about it. We were not slow to respond. We acted within reason.
“Suppose a neighbour walks across our lawn. Would we shoot them?” he asked. For his remark, ACM Napadej found himself in the firing line of social media.
Defence ‘politicised’
The opposition has also been having a field day renewing its attack on the RTAF’s plan to procure two F35 jets worth 7 billion baht in total. The budget for that has been earmarked for the next fiscal year starting in October.
The budget is due to be scrutinised by parliament on July 18 as part of the national expenditure bill and Myanmar’s incursion is likely to complicate that process. ACM Napadej has been called to testify before the parliamentary committee vetting the budget for the jets.
The incursion has also been incorporated into a censure motion targeting Gen Prayut as defence minister. He and 10 other cabinet ministers are targets of the no-confidence debate taking place from July 19-22.
A fresh interpellation was raised in parliament, to which Deputy Defence Minister Chaichan Changmongkol answered. He said the MiG-29 fighter jet was briefly picked up on radar over tambon Valley at 11.56am on June 30. Shortly after, it headed back into Myanmar.
This prompted the RTAF to protest via its attache in Naypyidaw and through the Township Border Committee (TBC).
At 2pm that day, an MI-17 military helicopter from Myanmar was detected approaching the Thai border. The RTAF ordered two F16s from its base in Takhli district of Nakhon Sawan to be scrambled at 2.02pm. As a result, there was no incursion.
Since then, the RTAF has conducted regular Combat Air Patrols (CAPs), which is consistent with international practice, while also devising a national defence plan and executing it in a way that is both militarily and diplomatically prudent, Gen Chaichan said.
Threat deterrence
ACM Kongsak Chantharasopha, chief of the Air Operation Control Command, meanwhile, also testified before the House committee on military affairs over the incursion on July 7.
He said the radar surveillance system worked around the clock and was effective in detecting aircraft flying close to the border. An alert unit was ready to be deployed within five minutes of an emergency.
A source at the RTAF said the Takhli air force base has been put on constant alert and is prepared to immediately deploy F16 jets as and when needed.
The air force radar stations in Kanchanaburi and on top of Doi Inthanon, the country’s highest peak in Chiang Mai, are also monitoring the conflict in Myanmar opposite Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces.
On the ground, the Naresuan task force under the 3rd Region Army has been scouring border areas prone to incursion. It was in charge of the formal protest lodged via the TBC.
In the event of bullets or shells being fired into Thai territory, the Thai side will respond by launching a warning flare.
If the shelling persists, it would be met with live rounds. This is all part of the standard practice informing the other side they have overstepped the mark, said Lt Gen Apichet Suesat, commander of the 3rd Region Army.
“There have been many stray shells and bullets [fired over the border] in the past but we don’t know who was responsible,” he added.
The commander warned that returning fire with live rounds could mislead people into thinking that Thailand was helping minority rebels fight the Myanmar military, or vice versa.
Balancing act
Lt Gen Apichet said Thailand must perform a delicate balancing act. He recalled attending a Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting joined by Myanmar’s top brass, where he was wrongly accused of siding with the junta.
The commander said the RBC meeting agenda did not touch on the fighting between the Myanmar troops and the minority rebels along the border.
“Our position is unequivocally clear. No one, regardless of what side they are affiliated with, can use Thai soil to wage a conflict against anyone else,” he said.
He also conceded Thai authorities were only able to contact the Myanmar military, not the ethnic minorities, via the TBC on the issue of border incursions.
Lt Gen Apichet said the Naresuan Taskforce operates its own radar system which can keep track of fighting across the border.
Instead of foot patrols, the soldiers have switched to driving armoured vehicles equipped with guns for enhanced security protection.
The fighting on the Myanmar side has pushed more than 200 people across the Thai border in Phop Phra and Umphan districts of Tak. The military has given them humanitarian assistance.
Lt Gen Apichet said the fighting between Myanmar’s military and its ethnic groups is likely to drag on. He expressed surprise the rainy season had not caused it to ease up in recent weeks.
