Thailand’s proposed land bridge will be decided on economic viability

THAILAND’S proposal to build a land bridge that removes the need to sail around the Malayan peninsula is just one of many such ideas pushed over the years. Historians date the first such plan to the 17th century: A far-sighted Siamese king wanted a quick way to move his navy without having to loop around the peninsula. He sought to dig a canal across the Kra Isthmus.

More recent proposals have been profit-motivated. The main thrust of all such ideas is to provide a shorter sea trade route between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As recently as 2015, an agreement was signed between the China-Thailand Kra Infrastructure Investment and Development Company and Asia Union Group, to build a Kra Canal. It fell apart on security concerns at the prospect of dividing a Muslim majority region from the rest of the Buddhist kingdom.

This time the proposal is for a 90 km land bridge. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin envisages a project that would obviate the need to sail via the Straits of Malacca, pointing out that there are more than 60 maritime accidents a year on average on the existing route. More contentiously, he argued that the growth in maritime traffic would mean that the Straits would reach full capacity by 2030.