Royal Thai Navy joins anti-piracy patrols
The Royal Thai Navy will dispatch 369 navy personnel manning two vessels to join international maritime patrol operations fighting piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, on July 12, according to a senior navy officer.??Vice Admiral Taweewut Pongpiptat, assistant navy chief-of-staff for tactical operations, told a media briefing that the 140-day mission will begin next month with a Bt360m (US$12m) budget allocated for the joint operations with 25 other nations.??The Thai navy contingent is set to depart from Chuk Samet port in the eastern province of Rayong on July 12.?