Southeast Asia increases submarine purchases

Singapore [Singapore], December 29: According to the South China Morning Post, Southeast Asian countries increasingly see submarine development as necessary for security amid the changing geopolitical situation.
In the region, besides countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore ... owning submarines, Thailand and the Philippines are also in the process of buying submarines.
Not only that, earlier this month, Singapore began the next phase of submarine development with the launch of new submarines, the Invincible class made in Germany. At the ceremony, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore's navy has an important mission to ensure the survival of the country and maintain sea lanes of communication (SLOC).
Submarine purchases have always been of particular interest to Indonesia after the sinking of the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine off the coast of Bali in April 2021. In February, Indonesia signed an agreement with France to cooperate in the construction of two Scorpene-class submarines. This class of ships is said to be very good at getting out of sight, extremely fast and capable of performing tasks such as anti-surface warfare and long-range strike.
Thailand in 2017 also signed an agreement with China to buy three Type 039A submarines. However, the Chinese submarine developer was unable to obtain diesel engines from Germany due to the European Union arms embargo against Beijing. Therefore, it appears that the Thai navy is discussing with China about replacing the engine, but there are also comments that this contract may be cancelled.
The Philippine Navy has also started searching for its first submarine since last year, but the process has been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, France is said to have offered to sell two high-performance submarines to Manila in exchange for the right to explore Philippine waters.
AristyoDarmawan, a lecturer in international law at the University of Indonesia, said that it is reasonable and necessary for Southeast Asian countries to buy submarines because the region has strategic maritime routes with heavy traffic. casting. However, expert Ian Storey at the ISEAS-YusofIshak Institute (Singapore) noted that submarines are one of the most complex and expensive naval systems to operate. Therefore, if submarines cannot be used effectively, they will become symbols of power rather than battleships in the true sense of the word.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper