KRA Canal Proposal: Dream Or Reality?

Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa BANGKOK (Thailand) July 11 (Bernama) -- From as early as 1677 during the reign of King Narai, several parties have proposed to build Kra Canal at Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand. However, efforts to link the Indian Ocean and South China Sea through the canal remained a pipe dream until now. However in recent weeks, a group of former Thai generals and a non-governmental organisation, with the help of a Chinese private company has been floating a new proposal on the Kra Canal. Proponents of Kra Canal have long advocated maritime benefits of the project as it will halve shipping routes between Indian Ocean and South China Sea by more than 1,000km or three sailing days, by by-passing the busy Melaka Straits. Despite Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha recent pronouncements that he had no intention of approving the proposal for a canal similar to the Panama and Suez Canal, the group is determined to see the proposal through. "Thailand has been thinking about the Kra Canal for over 300 years now and the proposals for it have been explored by countless superpowers, but we (the group) think it (the canal) will be good for the future of Thailand," an adviser of the proposal, Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon told Bernama here recently. The Melaka Straits is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world, which was used by about 100,000 vessels annually, carrying tradeable goods including oil and gas between Indian and Pacific Ocean. Thawatchai, former second army region commander with another former army top brass, Gen Harn Leenanon have been pushing the government to have the canal, saying the project will transform Thailand's economic landscape. The group with Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Longhao, a Chinese private company with expertise in canal construction, have joined hands in conducting a study on the Kra Canal. According to Thawatchai, should Bangkok agree with the proposal for the '9A Route', a 135km canal will be built with an estimated cost of US$20 billion and will take about five years to complete, using Chinese canal technology. Also member of the National Reform Steering Committee (NRSA), he said a recent study conducted by them had shown that Thailand would receive numerous economic benefits from the existence of a canal. Thailand's economic interests, he said, should overide every consideration, including concerns that the canal might have on the economy and port operations in neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore. "Every country thinks about their country's interest first, no one thinks of other countries' interest first, it is normal," he said. As predicted by observers, Singapore's port will suffer adversely if the Kra Canal is constructed along with Malaysian ports in Penang, Klang and Tanjung Pelepas. But Thawatchai reasoned, as Malaysia and Singapore were more developed economically than Thailand, the impact from the canal on both countries would be minimal and short term in nature. He also said, with the Melaka Straits less busy should the Kra Canal become operational, the problems of pollution long associated with high number of ships plying the straits will also become a thing of the past, especially for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Elaborating on the "economic bonanza" for Thailand should it forge ahead with the construction of the Kra Canal, the southern Thailand, said Thawatchai, would not only emerge as the region's newest logistics hub but also become the shipping, industrial and tourism centre of ASEAN. "With that in mind, we will not give up on the Kra Canal's proposal despite receiving the thumbs down from the present government. We will still bring up the matter to the future Thai government," he said. On reservations expressed by certain quarters, including from the government that an act of splitting the country into two parts through the construction of Kra Canal would undermine the security of Thailand, Thawatchai rubbished it. He said the construction of the Kra Canal would not provide momentum to militant groups in the south for separation from Thailand but instead, the canal would create economic opportunities to uplift the livelihood of its local residents. Furthermore, said Thawatchai, China which most probably would be bankrolling the Kra Canal project would have a stake in ensuring its well-being, thus making every effort to ensure it was free from any security problem. After all, he noted, the Kra Canal - should it be constructed in the future - would be an important link to China's initiative of a Maritime Silk Road, part of its 'One Belt, One Road' blueprint. -- BERNAMA