Thailand Mulls Path Linking Indian and Pacific Oceans

[webfact]

Thailand Mulls Path Linking Indian and Pacific Oceans

By Randy Thanthong-Knight

 

Photographer: Taylor Weidman/Bloomberg

 

For decades, Thailand had an ambitious plan of dredging a canal through the country’s narrowest point to link the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, bypassing the Strait of Malacca — one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes — and potentially cutting travel time by five days.

 

The plan never came to fruition, partly because the cost involved in such a project and the environmental destruction it would ensue. But as the narrow sea lane between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore gets more congested, the Thai government is revisiting a plan for a bypass linking the Asia-Pacific region with India and the Middle East.

 

To avoid dredging a canal, the government proposes an alternative pathway through its southern isthmus. It plans to build two automated seaports — one on the Indian Ocean side and another on the Pacific side — and link the ports with a 100-kilometer expressway and rail network to transport goods between them.

 

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2020-09-14/supply-chains-latest-thailand-mulls-path-linking-indian-pacific-oceans

 

-- © Copyright Bloomberg 2020-09-15

 

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[RotBenz8888]

Ain't gonna work. 

[SoilSpoil]

Straight through sockets  of the last existing pristine rain forests.

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand Mulls Path Linking Indian and Pacific Oceans

The only that will happen will be a mulled whine.

[KhunKenAP]

She-she from X

[kotsak]

They can go ahead with the plan but they may want to kiss the south goodbye first. ????

[holy cow cm]

So they are going to put the Chinese war ships on trains, and for their subs, they can just use the expressway as maybe faster. Great for China!

[yellowboat]

It was report a few months ago they were not going to do it, as it will allow China more access to the Indian Ocean.  Usually $ingapore objects, and the idea is shelved for a year.   

[Geoffggi]

This was first reported as a Chinese request also from what I remembered was not favourable with Malaysia or Singapore as it would cut both countries off from land borders and would not benefit Thailand - Let the Chinese find an alternative for their military vessels. 

[chilli42]

Your Chinese masters have told you to get it done ... what is there to mull over?  Oh yes, your share of the brown envelopes.  On a project of this size they will be truly staggering.

[worldfun]

don't worry China have already made a fresh deal with Myanmar about a deep sea port as the thais could never finish their 'deal' at Dawei ???? lets go back to sleep

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

To avoid dredging a canal, the government proposes an alternative pathway through its southern isthmus. It plans to build two automated seaports — one on the Indian Ocean side and another on the Pacific side — and link the ports with a 100-kilometer expressway and rail network to transport goods between them.

I don't think getting battleships on an expressway was in Ji's memo.

[NeoDinosaw]

A canal across the peninsula is the logical answer.  Unloading and re-loading goods on and off a train link would be very costly and the time taken will eat into any saving form the trip round Singapore.  Thailand would benefit tremendously from taxes for ships passing through  (per person for cruise ships, per tonne for cargo).  Could even develop a seaside resort on the Andaman side.

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

link the ports with a 100-kilometer expressway and rail network

[oompie69]

7 hours ago, kotsak said:

They can go ahead with the plan but they may want to kiss the south goodbye first. ????

Could be a crafty way of sorting that problem out without losing face.

Edited September 15, 2020 by oompie69

[Baerboxer]

20 hours ago, yellowboat said:

It was report a few months ago they were not going to do it, as it will allow China more access to the Indian Ocean.  Usually $ingapore objects, and the idea is shelved for a year.   

 

I think last time Singapore "objected" it cost them a very large amount of money to buy a telecoms company!