October 20, 2002	Sunday	Sha'aban 13, 1423

BANGKOK, Oct 19: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Saturday said Thailand was making efforts to diversify sources of its military hardware and that he was eyeing Russian goods.

“They are good and cheap,” said Shinawatra in his weekly radio address one day after his return from a three-day official visit to Russia.

He said it was strategically important for Thailand to diversify its sources of military hardware because no country wanted to be too dependent or be under the sphere of influence of any particular country through arms deals.

The premier floated the idea of barter trade before his departure to Russia, suggesting Thailand could use rice to buy weapons.

Analysts, however, said diversifying sources of military hardware could be very expensive, pointing to spare parts, after-sale services and logistics. They added that Moscow was more interested in getting hard currency for their weapon systems.

Shinawatra boasted about the Thai-initiated Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), saying that Moscow was interested in the informal forum. He also said he had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Thailand.—The Nation/Asia News Network