Bangkok: The Thai military refuted claims by MPs from the People's Democratic Reform Committee regarding border development budgets, emphasizing that "roads, water, and livelihoods" do not overlap with the Ministry of Agriculture's initiatives. They pointed out that questioning is good, but MPs should first fully understand the military's mission.
According to Thai News Agency, Colonel Chattrarapi Poonsri, Deputy Spokesperson of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, addressed the case of Ms. Petcharat Maichomphu, Member of Parliament for Chiang Mai Province, People's Party, who, as a minority member of the Budget Committee, debated Article 8 of the Ministry of Defence budget during the House of Representatives meeting on September 7, 2026, to consider the draft of the 2027 fiscal year budget bill. Ms. Maichomphu raised concerns about the allocation of funds to certain projects of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, namely rural road construction and improvement projects, agricultural promotion, livestock and cooperative projects, and village fisheries projects. She questioned whether these missions overlapped with those of other agencies and whether they should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives or other directly related agencies.
Colonel Chattrarapi stated that the Royal Thai Army thanks the observers and comments that help monitor and scrutinize the army's operations. She added that doubts and questions are good and beneficial to the work of government agencies. However, before concluding which missions overlap or which agency should be responsible, it is necessary to understand what each agency does, where they do it, who they do it for, and their goals. Even though the work may appear similar from the outside, the reasons and objectives of its operations may differ.
The deputy spokesperson of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is primarily responsible for promoting and developing the country's agricultural sector, while the armed forces have a mission of "development for security" alongside national defense. The Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, through its Military Development Command, is the main mechanism for developing areas, particularly border regions, remote and difficult-to-reach areas. This includes developing water resources, transportation routes, promoting occupations, and supporting agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, so that people have jobs, income, a better quality of life, and can live securely in their own areas.
To explain this in simple terms, consider fish farming. If the goal is to encourage farmers to raise fish to increase agricultural production and income, that is the mission of agriculture. However, if it's a village along the border or a remote area where people lack water resources and opportunities for employment, and the military steps in to develop water resources and provide fish, plant, or animal breeds so that the people have food, jobs, income, and can live securely in the area, that is "development for security."
Similar to road construction, if viewed solely as an activity undertaken, it might seem no different from road construction by other agencies. However, roads in border and remote areas, in addition to facilitating travel and the transportation of agricultural products, also enable officials to access the area more easily, assist the public, and support border security more effectively.
The Thai military stated that while the actions may seem similar, "where it's done, for whom, and for what purpose" is what differentiates the missions. Therefore, the military's support of plant and animal breeding, aquaculture, water resource development, or road construction is not about replacing other agencies, but rather integrating these activities into regional and community development to enhance long-term security.
Colonel Chattrarapi stated that the Royal Thai Armed Forces appreciates the raising of this issue for discussion. Besides being part of the budget scrutiny process, it provides an opportunity for the military to explain to the public another aspect of its mission that the public may not be fully aware of. Every opinion is valuable when based on complete information, and questions are more constructive when there is a comprehensive understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and objectives of each agency.
Finally, the Thai military emphasized that security does not only mean having soldiers defending the border, but also includes ensuring that people along the border have access to water, roads, jobs, income, and the ability to live securely in their own areas. Because when the people and communities are strong, the border areas are strong, and that is part of the country's security.