In recent days, China's CCTV reported that the Chinese government is ready to study the expansion of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand as part of the new Silk Road initiative, indicating that it could reduce shipping distances by 3 days or over 1,200 kilometers.

            CCTV presented a special report titled Silk Road to the Future - Episode 2, stating that the Chinese government is studying proposals to construct and fund the Kra Canal project in Thailand. It mentioned that the canal would be built soon as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which would help shorten current shipping distances by over 1,200 kilometers or 3 days. The report cited Mr. Jaran Lamduan, the mayor of Mamoo Subdistrict, stating that the excavation of the Kra Canal would generate substantial income for Thailand.

The Kra Isthmus has been of interest since 1677 during the reign of King Narai the Great.

          Plans to excavate a canal connecting the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea have existed since the reign of King Narai the Great, when French engineers surveyed the terrain and concluded that it might be possible to adjust existing waterways to connect to Tanawthari and Myeik, which was the initial concept of creating a waterway between the two seas in southern Thailand.

          Up until the reign of King Rama I, strategic reasons for controlling both coasts of Thailand and preventing threats from enemies were discussed. During the colonial era, the excavation of the canal in southern Thailand continued to be a topic of discussion, sometimes with national sovereignty at stake. For instance, in 1894, Maurice de Bunsen, the British ambassador, came to Bangkok with orders that Britain could not allow foreign powers (France) to interfere in Siam's territory in the Malay Peninsula, and De Bunsen was instructed to prevent France from attempting to create a canal across the Kra Isthmus.

          The Siamese government was well aware that both Britain and France were concerned about the status of the Kra Isthmus, and Britain's reluctance to colonize Siam was due to not wanting to clash with France, which controlled Indochina. Thus, both France and Britain agreed to leave Siam as a buffer zone, preventing anyone from having the opportunity to excavate the Kra Isthmus, making it Siam's 'trump card' against the great powers.

          After World War II, Thailand managed to avoid being a losing country and signed a peace treaty with Britain, which stipulated that 'the Siamese government promised that there would be no canal connecting the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Siam,' or if one were to be excavated, it would require prior permission from Britain.

“The Kra Isthmus” is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula.

           The Kra Isthmus, or Kra Pass, is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula located in the area of Thap Lee, Mamoo Subdistrict, Kra Buri District, Ranong Province, and Suwi District, Chumphon Province, approximately 545 kilometers along Highway No. 4, 66 kilometers from the municipal area. In this area, there is a large concrete sign.

           The Kra Isthmus stretches only 50 kilometers from the western coast to the eastern coast. This area has been of strategic importance since the reign of King Narai the Great, with plans to excavate a canal continuing until the reign of King Rama IV, when the French considered excavating the Kra Isthmus to shorten the shipping distance from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand without having to go around the Malay Peninsula.

Studying the feasibility of the Kra Isthmus excavation project in 2001.

      In February 1958, Pridi Banomyong proposed excavating the canal again, but no excavation has occurred to this day due to various opposing reasons, including the desire to prevent Thailand from being divided into two parts, coupled with Singapore's fear of losing benefits.

      By 1997, during Thailand's economic crisis, the Kra Isthmus excavation project was seen as another dream for revitalizing the country's economy. There were attempts to revive the Kra Isthmus discussion, but the project was shelved due to the enormous budget required and the near impossibility of implementation. After the Thai Rak Thai government took office from 2001 to 2006, more emphasis was placed on the 'Land Bridge' project than on the canal excavation project.

      However, in 2001, the Senate established a special committee to study the feasibility of the Kra Isthmus excavation project, and the study's findings reported that the canal should be named 'Thai Canal.' The area proposed for excavation was not the Kra Isthmus due to engineering reasons, as the terrain at the Kra Isthmus is rocky and mountainous, with stability concerns since the Kra Isthmus is located at the border with Myanmar at the mouth of the Kra Buri River. The area the Senate deemed most feasible and beneficial for the Thai Canal excavation was Route 9A, passing through Krabi, Trang, Phatthalung, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Songkhla, with a length of 120 kilometers.

Route 9A: The hope of the Kra Isthmus excavation project.

            According to Associate Professor Dr. Sathaporn Kiewwimon from the Faculty of Engineering at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology North Bangkok, an advisor to the special committee studying the feasibility of the Kra Isthmus excavation project (Thai Canal), there have been 12 proposed routes for the excavation of the Kra Isthmus, which have been presented and modified over time.

            The most feasible routes from 1973 to 2005 are summarized as Route 5A (from the study by TAMS) and Route 9A (from the study by the special committee for the feasibility of the Kra Isthmus excavation project (Thai Canal) completed in 2005).

       The study by Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton (TAMS) is often referenced first as it is considered the most systematic study conducted in Thailand (and possibly to this day). It was presented to the government in 1973, where TAMS studied 10 routes and concluded that Route 5A was the most feasible for excavating a single-channel canal with a depth of 33.5 m, width of 490 m, and length of 107 km, allowing ships of 500,000 tons (or 250,000 tons) to pass through.

      Using conventional excavation methods or partial nuclear methods, the canal's mouth could develop ports and industries on both sides of the port to become a transshipment hub in the region, with an estimated budget of 22.48 billion USD (at that time's currency). This proposal was processed and re-evaluated by the National Economic and Social Development Board in 1998, which found that the investment value would be high, ranging from 500,000 to 810,000 million baht (at that time's currency).

 

       Meanwhile, the Thai Canal excavation route (or Route 9A) passes through Krabi, Trang, Phatthalung, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Songkhla by excavating a canal connecting the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, with a length of 120 kilometers and a depth of 35 - 40 meters. The canal would consist of parallel channels, one for going and one for returning, with a width of approximately 300 – 350 meters and a turning point width of 500 meters. Route 9A would cut through the Kuan Kreng swamp, which has a lake that, according to scientific principles, would help reduce the impact of high waves from ships.

      The rationale for constructing two canals is to accommodate ships of 500,000 tons, primarily oil tankers with a width of 60-80 meters and a depth of 30-35 meters. A canal must be built to account for deep-draft vessels because if there is only one canal and an accident occurs, the vessels can switch to using the single canal together.

      The cost of excavating the Thai Canal and the total investment for construction is estimated to be nearly 650,000 million baht.

Thus, the method of constructing the Thai Canal would involve companies with modern equipment in Thailand excavating the canal over a distance of 120 kilometers, with 120 companies responsible for 1 kilometer each, at a cost of 5,000 million baht per kilometer, excavating simultaneously at all points over a period of 5 years. Successful excavation would require good management across all kilometers and maintaining the same standards.

“China” stands to gain the most from the “Kra Isthmus.”

            The Thai Kra Isthmus excavation project, if successful, would change global shipping strategies. The Chinese government has been pushing hard for this project to materialize. Besides China, India, Australia, and the United States are also interested in supporting the Kra Isthmus excavation project.

      For China, the Kra Isthmus is a strategically important point in many aspects. Former Chinese President Hu Jintao stated back in 2006 that if the Kra Isthmus were successfully excavated, it would help solve the 'Malacca Crisis' that China faces. China relies on this route for 80% of its oil imports and various raw materials for its industrial factories, as well as a channel for distributing Chinese goods worldwide.

      However, traffic in the Malacca Strait is quite congested, with over 84,000 vessels transporting 30% of global goods passing through each year, and more than 122,000 vessels expected, exceeding the maximum capacity of the Malacca Strait. Therefore, China is looking for alternative routes, as the 'Kra Isthmus' could shorten the travel time around the Malay Peninsula by 1-2 days, but this comes at the cost of higher fuel and shipping costs due to reduced sailing speed.

      Additionally, the Kra Isthmus is also a significant military strategic point for China, as the Chinese navy could shorten the shipping distance from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean or establish a naval base at the Kra Isthmus, similar to the investments made in port projects like Djibouti.

 

“One Belt One Road” is a crucial variable for China to negotiate the excavation of the “Kra Isthmus.”

            In 2016, a team of Chinese engineers surveyed the feasibility of excavating a canal through the “Kra Isthmus” to connect the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea, following President Xi Jinping's One Belt One Road cooperation theory, which promotes the maritime Silk Road.

            China established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to support mega projects under this policy. Just six months after the establishment of the AIIB, over 50 countries worldwide became members. Indian Prime Minister Modi immediately advocated for open cooperation as a major Asian power for the future of all Asians.

            One of the key projects is to revive the plan to excavate the Kra Isthmus (Kra Isthmus) in Thailand, which spans the maritime Silk Road, connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. This would be a highlight of international transportation, facilitating rapid and convenient international trade expansion compared to the existing route through the congested Malacca Strait, which has been unchanged for over 500 years.

          Certainly, both China, India, and the other 50 member countries, along with a group of Thai businessmen, agree, arguing that it would be a hope and future for Asians, no less than for the world. What history repeats is the new pressure on the Thai government and the Thai people, who are largely hesitant about this idea. The Kra Isthmus is not a new issue; it is an old pressure that has previously created turmoil in the assessment of Siamese leaders during the reign of King Rama V between 1881-1882, or 139 years ago.