[ArrereGarhync]

The Defence Ministry has proposed an additional training ground, possibly in Sukhothai, for the Singaporean military, Defence Minister ACM Sukumpol Suwanatat said yesterday.

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Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat inspectsaguardofhonour at the Defence Ministry in Singapore yesterday. ACMSukumpol plans to cut short his participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue, an intergovernmental security forum being held in Singaporeuntiltomorrow, and return to Bangkok after protestersconverged in Bangkok to oppose the controversial national reconciliation bill.

He was speaking after a meeting with his Singaporean counterpart, Ng Eng Hen during his visit to the city state to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, an inter-governmental security forum currently being held in Singapore until tomorrow.

ACM Sukumpol said Singapore, which has leased the training ground at the Sai Yok army camp in Kanchanaburi, needs a larger space as its military might need to use live ammunition during training.

Both sides agreed to establish another training ground.

A military source said the ministry might set aside an area in Ban Dan Lan Hoy in Sukhothai for the Singapore military, in addition to the existing training ground in Kanchanaburi.

"Allowing Singaporean soldiers to conduct more training in our country is to help a friend," he said.

"It's a mutual interest and we have nothing to lose from this as soldiers from Singapore have already been carrying out drills in Kanchanaburi for a long time," the defence minister said.

No matter where the Singaporean military will conduct its drills here in Thailand, the Thai military has full access to observe its activities, said ACM Sukumpol.