PM says GT200 proven ineffective

Bangkok Post : The GT200 bomb detector has been found ineffective in field tests and no more of the devices will be purchased, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Tuesday.

Mr Abhisit said this in a press conference in the presence of army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda.

He said field trials by a committee of the Science and Technology Ministry found that the GT200 correctly detected explosives only four times in 20 tests.

"GT200 itself cannot be used alone without help from other devices," said the prime minister.

Mr Abhisit said all units using the British-made GT200 would be informed of the test results which came out negatively so that they would no longer risk using it. Most of the field units had earlier expressed confidence in the device's effectiveness.

He said that use of GT200 had never been cited to support findings in a case. It had been used to detect explosives at the spots where incidents took place only.

The prime minister said for the time-being there was no immediate replacement for the GT200.

He admitted that sniffing dogs are now the best detector with the highest standard. He still had no idea what to do with the GT200 already bought and in use.

Mr Abhisit said he had also ordered units using the GT200 to prepare a report how many sets of the GT200 had been bought each year and how the purchases were made.

The army was now required to adjust its plan to buy bomb detectors in the future and consult with the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre before any purchase to make sure the devices to be bought are effective.

The government assigned the Science and Technology Ministry to set up a committee to conduct tests on effectiveness of the GT200 after a similar bomb detector, the British-made ADE651, was criticised for its ineffectiveness.

The test of the GT200 was concluded last Sunday night, but the ministry refused to immediately disclosed the results saying they must be first reported to the cabinet.

Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, the science and technology minister, said on Monday that while the ministry was not in the position to conclude if the device was effective at detecting bombs, it could guarantee that the test met international standards.

She expected the public to accept the results of the fireld tests on the GT200 bomb scanner which were conducted on Sunday at the Thailand Science Park in Pathum Thani's Khlong Luang district following criticism that it was nothing more than a hoax.