Thailand banking on the Kra Isthmus canal project
WILL the 329-year-old dream, dating back to the time of King Narai the Great, of connecting the Gulf of Thailand to the Andaman Sea become a reality in the not-so-distant future?
The answer is probably yes, it seems, especially with the price of oil rising the way it has in the past months. The economic imperative of opening the route has suddenly sidelined centuries-old security concerns, but there are still lots of hurdles to be overcome.
As with Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which has taken over four decades to complete, the not-so-distant future for the canal project could mean 20-40 years. When the issue was debated recently at two seminars involving the Thai military, politicians, businessmen and academics, the tone was definitely new: there was much less dissent.
The participants, even those in uniform, agreed the time had come for a Thai canal in the south, but it should be far away from the originally identified strip of the Kra Isthmus at Ranong. A feasibility study for the Thai Canal Project was, they said, necessary, even though it would cost a staggering Bt50mil (RM4.9mil).
Canals have long been a part of the daily life of Thailand. The Thailand of yesteryear was sometimes called the “Venice of the East” with good reason.
In the old days, Thais travelled via canals, big and small, that snaked through the capital, linking small villages or marketplaces that were inaccessible by land. Digging canals was a sign of civilisation favoured by private citizens and government bureaucrats alike.
The three-year preparatory feasibility report by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Kra Canal Project that was completed and approved last year by the Cabinet recommended that a complete feasibility study be carried out as soon as possible. Yet somehow there has been no follow-up.
This inertia prompted the Royal Naval Academy to take up the issue, and brought all concerned authorities together to discuss the pros and cons of the Thai Canal Project. Captain Soonpuen Sommaphi, the spokesman of the Naval Academy, pointed out that it would be a huge project that needed to be debated by think-tanks and public forums.
Kamnuan Chalopatham, chairman of the ad-hoc committee, has even said the future of Thailand and its economic development depend on digging canals in the south. He said he believed that canals would alleviate the lingering effects of the economic crisis and turn Thailand into a regional commercial and financial hub.
He and his committee chose the A9 route out of 10 options under review. The 120km A9 route is the most feasible path, cutting through the provinces of Krabi, Phatthalung, Nakorn Si Thammarat, Songkhla and Trang.
According to Kamnuan, this route poses few security problems because it cuts through a sparsely populated area far from the Myanmar and Malaysian borders. At that point, the difference between sea levels is also less than that at the Panama Canal.
What is interesting is that many of the previous discussions on linking the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea were tainted by the ulterior motives of politicians and their business cronies. Many proposals were shot down through a lack of understanding of the broader implications.
Of course, security concerns along the Myanmar and Malaysian borders were high priorities from the 1950s to the 1970s. Likewise, although the conflict in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat raises concerns among security officials, many now believe that with sufficient economic development the separatist threat could be dealt with effectively.
Since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy, more than 20 studies have been commissioned on the canal project. But none of the ideas has been implemented. The latest study, a 1998 effort by a parliamentary subcommittee, concluded that the canal would be feasible from both an engineering and an economic standpoint, but the Asian economic crisis froze the whole enterprise.
Now, with the thirst for energy high everywhere in the world, transportation costs have become an important issue for the energy sector. Since the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the threat of new attacks and piracy in the Malacca Straits have jacked up insurance premiums. Maritime security in the strategic straits of Malacca, Lombok, Makassar and Torres will require more co-operation, both bilaterally and regionally.
Soonpuen reiterated that, this time, the Royal Thai Navy would be spearheading the discussion: “The Thai Navy must take the lead, because Thailand is on both the Indian and Pacific oceans, and we have to realise our sea power and exercise it,” he said. This is a far cry from the statements of naval officers of the past.
Judging from the views expressed, the Thai Navy will play a pivotal role in providing maritime security both in the Gulf and in the Andaman Sea. But decades of neglect, due to budgetary emphasis on land threats, have also marginalised the navy’s modernisation programmes.
The Thai Canal would be one of the word’s largest projects. It is expected to take 10 years to complete and cost Bt750bil (RM73.6bil), said the report.
Although the financial benefits have been studied meticulously by experts, with support from both private and government organisations, nobody really knows what the impact will be on the environment, not to mention the social cost of relocating residents. – The Nation / Asia News Network
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