The government is mulling the procurement of two other bomb-detecting devices, apparently to replace the GT200, which has been found to be ineffective in finding explosives.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has instructed Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, and the army to study their procurement and deployment.
The use of the two devices, known as Fido XT, an explosives detector, and Sabre 4000, a trace detector, was suggested by Khunying Porntip. Both are in use in Thailand but there are only a few due to their high price tags.
Speaking after a meeting with security authorities in Pattani yesterday, Mr Suthep said even though a Fido costs almost 4 million baht the government may have to invest in them to better protect lives and property.
"I asked them to study if we should buy those devices, how many of them we need and where they should be deployed," he said.
Mr Suthep said the government is considering other measures to boost security operations after the effectiveness of the GT200 proved doubtful.
Khunying Porntip had forensic officials demonstrate how to operate the Fido and the Sabre and explain their effectiveness to Mr Suthep's delegation.
Mr Suthep was in the far South with army commander Anupong Paojinda yesterday to brief troops on the GT200.
The visit came a day after Gen Anupong called a press conference to say that the device had been effective in detecting explosives and saving lives.
When Mr Suthep and Gen Anupong arrived in Yala province, security officers had used GT200s to check for explosive substances surrounding the area they were due to visit.
Gen Anupong's trip came ahead of the Science and Technology Ministry's planned visit to clarify the test results to users of the scanner.
According to Gen Anupong, the prime minister did not say that use of the device be stopped but had stressed the need to make soldiers aware that it might not always detect explosives and that it must not be used on people.
"He [the prime minister] said the device must not be used on people because it would create complications in operations," he said.
The army chief said the Science and Technology Ministry's team has to explain to troops to make them see that some of their explosives "hits" had nothing to do with the GT200.
Lt Gen Pichet Wisaichorn, commander of the 4th Region Army, said that a Fido detector is much more expensive than a GT200.
An official at a bomb disposal unit in Pattani's Inkhayutthaboriharn camp said the Fido and GT200 were completely different.
The Fido system is based on technologies that imitate a dog's sense of smell and it is used to detect traces of explosives vapour.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday the Fido could not really replace the GT200 because it could not scan for explosives from a distance.
From: bangkokpost
Might be more expensive but it actually works. The US military is actively and successfully using the Fido in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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