Royal Thai Army
The Royal Thai Army or RTA (Thai: กองทัพบกไทย; RTGS: kong thap bok thai) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
"Royal Siamese Army" redirects here. For the pre-modern forces, see History of the Thai armed forces before 1852.Royal Thai Army
8 May 1874 (150 years)
560,000[1]
Royal Thai Army Headquarters, Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok
"ทบ." "Thor Bor" Abbreviation of Army
เพื่อชาติ ศาสน์ กษัตริย์ และประชาชน ("For the Nation, Religion, Monarchy, and People")
Red and yellow
มาร์ชกองทัพบก (Army March)
18 January
(Royal Thai Armed Forces Day)
General Charoenchai Hinthao
Businesses and infrastructure[edit]
The army owns more than 30 golf courses nationwide. The army also owns boxing stadium, 100 petrol stations, racecourses, hotels, retail and coffee shops, and radio and television airwaves (by one count, the armed forces have ownership in 537 radio and TV stations).[26] In early 2020, the army entered an agreement with the Finance Ministry to turn over to the ministry the management of businesses unrelated to the army's mission.[27][28][29] In a related move, army commander General Apirat Kongsompong decreed that retired generals must move out of army-owned housing to free space for serving officers. As of 2020, about 100 retired generals and colonels inhabit army accommodations.[30] Some ex-generals, like PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan were exempted immediately from eviction because of their "contribution to society".[31] The Thai Defence Ministry position is that there is no law prohibiting retired officers from occupying military housing.[32]
In January 2021, the RTA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to study the feasibility of constructing solar farms on 4.5 million rai of army land to generate 30,000 megawatts of electricity. Following up, on 22 February 2021 a meeting was called by the President of Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 with energy firms interested in winning a piece of what is projected to be a 600 billion baht project. The Energy Ministry was not represented at the meeting. Critics have questioned why the army is involved in energy procurement, in contravention of existing regulations, and why Thailand needs more electricity when it already has 59% reserve capacity and more capacity under construction.[33]
