ID :
107249
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 13:40
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http://m.oananews.org//node/107249
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Thailand's Science and Technology Ministry set to test Alpha 6 soon
BANGKOK, Feb 18 (TNA) – Testing of the Alpha 6 substance detector will start soon, Thai officials said on Thursday, after the country handed a 'thumbs down' to the manufacturer of the British-made GT200 for an exceedingly poor performance test.
Government officials in Bangkok said the status of the GT200 bomb detectors will be clarified to military, police and and civil service officials in the insurgency-impacted southern provinces next week.
The Alpha 6 is used to detect narcotics by the same method applied to the GT200 bomb detectors.
Speaking about the field testing of the Alpha 6 scanners, a device similar to the GT200, Science and Technology Minister Kalaya Sophonpanich said the ministry is waiting for readiness of the
justice and interior ministries, which currently use the Alpha 6 manafactured by Britain's ComsTrac. The test will be conducted according to international standards, the same applied to check the effectiveness of the GT200.
“The test will be also conducted 20 times, which is considered enough in terms of statistical significance acceptable by all parties. The test will last for two days,” said Mrs Kalaya.
However, the test cannot be carried out at the real site where the equipment was used by officials as surroundings may disrupt the experiment, leading to inaccurate results, she added.
Meanwhile, the committee charged with testing the GT200 will meet local officials in the southern border provinces to give details of the test results.
The ministry is seeking new equipment to substitute for the GT200, she added.
The Fourth Army Region and military personnel in the southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat will continue to use GT200 bomb detectors despite the government test showing low accuracy, until replacement of new equipment will be supplied.
Army chief Gen Anupong Paochinda will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon with senior officials and bomb specialists on effectiveness of GT200 bomb detectors.
Supreme Commander Gen Songkitti Jaggabatara said although the army continues to use the controversial device but it must urgently procure new equipment to provide the best device for military personnel.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday halted all future purchases of the GT200 bomb detectors after testing by the ministry of science and technology evidenced poor accuracy of the equipment.
The tests followed criticism by many parties who raised questions regarding the effectiveness of the bomb detection device after the British government banned exports of ADE651 bomb detectors to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The ADE651 detector is manufactured by the British-based company Global Technical, and is similar to the GT200 bomb detector, widely used in security operations in Thailand's southern border provinces where insurgency-related incidents have left more than 4,000 people dead since ethnic Malay Muslim communal violence re-erupted in 2004. (TNA)
Government officials in Bangkok said the status of the GT200 bomb detectors will be clarified to military, police and and civil service officials in the insurgency-impacted southern provinces next week.
The Alpha 6 is used to detect narcotics by the same method applied to the GT200 bomb detectors.
Speaking about the field testing of the Alpha 6 scanners, a device similar to the GT200, Science and Technology Minister Kalaya Sophonpanich said the ministry is waiting for readiness of the
justice and interior ministries, which currently use the Alpha 6 manafactured by Britain's ComsTrac. The test will be conducted according to international standards, the same applied to check the effectiveness of the GT200.
“The test will be also conducted 20 times, which is considered enough in terms of statistical significance acceptable by all parties. The test will last for two days,” said Mrs Kalaya.
However, the test cannot be carried out at the real site where the equipment was used by officials as surroundings may disrupt the experiment, leading to inaccurate results, she added.
Meanwhile, the committee charged with testing the GT200 will meet local officials in the southern border provinces to give details of the test results.
The ministry is seeking new equipment to substitute for the GT200, she added.
The Fourth Army Region and military personnel in the southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat will continue to use GT200 bomb detectors despite the government test showing low accuracy, until replacement of new equipment will be supplied.
Army chief Gen Anupong Paochinda will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon with senior officials and bomb specialists on effectiveness of GT200 bomb detectors.
Supreme Commander Gen Songkitti Jaggabatara said although the army continues to use the controversial device but it must urgently procure new equipment to provide the best device for military personnel.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday halted all future purchases of the GT200 bomb detectors after testing by the ministry of science and technology evidenced poor accuracy of the equipment.
The tests followed criticism by many parties who raised questions regarding the effectiveness of the bomb detection device after the British government banned exports of ADE651 bomb detectors to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The ADE651 detector is manufactured by the British-based company Global Technical, and is similar to the GT200 bomb detector, widely used in security operations in Thailand's southern border provinces where insurgency-related incidents have left more than 4,000 people dead since ethnic Malay Muslim communal violence re-erupted in 2004. (TNA)
