Thai government rejects plan to build southern "Thai canal"

The Thai deputy prime minister Monday denied the need for building a canal to link the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea in the south as it would hurt the national security.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Gen Prawit Wongsuwan reiterated that the government would not consider to dig a so-called "Khlong Thai" or Thai Canal in the southern region and to create an artificial island in Songkhla and Krabi provinces despite the proposal by the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) to give the project a new lease on life.

Prawit said that the canal project could spark conflicts between supporters and opponents, noting that any implementation with the possibility of troubling the country's stabilization will be backed away.

The idea to build a canal across the less-than-30 mile Kra Isthmus in Thailand connecting the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Thailand was first emerged in 17th century. Though the blueprint of digging a 1,200-kilometre shortcut for shipping between the Indian and Pacific oceans remains attractive, it has been long stalled for decades because its implementation touches several sensitive aspects.

Those who support the project, including members of the NRSA who propose a jump-start of the project with feasibility studies done, see great economic benefits from the canal. Shippers could shave off three or four days from their travel time, translating to a 300,000 dollars savings on the cost of a 100,000 ton cargo ship voyage.

Opponents argue that it will be an uphill task, as Thailand has to overcome significant negative factors before such an ambitious scheme could take off. Most of them say the canal will cut the nation into two countries. Then there's the debate over how the economic benefits of the canal will be divvied up.

The project has never materialized, also due to its enormous cost and possible damage to the communities as well as environment in southern Thailand. Endit