Kra Canal

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Suggestions for building the Kra Canal

Kra Canal (also Thai Canal or Kra-Isthmus Canal , Thai โครงการ คลอง ไทย ) describes a planned project to dig a canal through the Isthmus of Kra in southern Thailand in order to shorten sea ​​transport between Europe and East Asia , similar to the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal . The canal would shorten the route by a good 1,200 km, which corresponds to a journey time of two to five days. A 100,000- dwt -Tanker would be about 300,000 US dollars save.

Early plans

Since the shipping route around the Malay Peninsula would be significantly shortened by a canal on the isthmus, King Narai commissioned the French engineer de Lamar in 1677 to look for a way to connect Songkhla to Marid (now Myanmar ). However, it turned out that the technological possibilities of the 17th century were still insufficient for such a project. The desire to be able to better protect the western coasts of Siam through the navy resulted in a consideration of the younger brother of King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) for a similar connection.

After Burma became a British colony with Victoria Point (Kawthaung) in today's Tanintharyi Division as the southernmost point, two British engineers carried out an exploration of the Isthmus of Kra in 1863, but came to the conclusion that due to the hilly land there was a canal too dig is impracticable. In 1868 a French team showed interest, even Ferdinand de Lesseps , the builder of the Suez Canal, examined the area in 1882, but was refused royal permission for such a project.

More recent considerations

In recent times, the People's Republic of China in particular has expressed interest in a canal connection. There were several conferences between Chinese and Thai experts, for example in September 2017 in Bangkok and on February 1, 2018. From the Chinese perspective, the canal would be part of the “ Maritime Silk Road ” project, which connects China with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Arabia and Africa should connect.

According to rumors, the canal project will have a length of 120 km, a width of 400 m and a depth of 20 m. This would also enable the currently largest ships to pass through unhindered oncoming traffic. The construction time is estimated at 7 to 10 years and the construction costs at USD 28–36 billion. The project sponsor would be the China-Thailand Kra Infrastructure Investment and Development Company , which has apparently already been founded . According to the latest polls, only about 30% of Thais would welcome the canal construction. There are fears of political unrest, corruption within the government, destruction of the environment and a further drifting apart of the already divided provinces to the right and left of the possible canal route.

Political Concerns

The canal plans are also a political issue: the immense importance of the seaport of Singapore lies in the fact that a large part of East and Southeast Asian shipments go around the Malay Peninsula, past Singapore and through the Strait of Malacca . So it was no longer in the British interest to have a navigable canal built in the Kra Isthmus. In 1897, Siam and the UK agreed not to build. After the Second World War, in which Thailand was an ally of Japan, Thailand had to explicitly forego the construction of a canal on the isthmus in Article 7 of the Anglo-Thai peace treaty of January 1, 1946.

Because of the immense costs and also because of the expected environmental problems, plans have remained to either build this canal at the narrowest point or further south between Surat Thani and Phang-nga . From Bangkok's point of view, strategic considerations speak against some of the proposals. The northernmost variant planned in the 17th century is alarmingly close to today's border with the centuries-old opponent Burma ( Myanmar ), the southernmost variant again too close to the border to Muslim-dominated Malaysia and in the middle of the border provinces, some of which are inhabited by Malay rebels.

Alternatives

Alternatively, a motorway or a railway connection is under discussion.

Another alternative is the planned “energy corridor ” between the northern Malaysian port cities of Yan (state of Kedah ) and Bachok (state of Kelantan ): A pipeline project funded by Chinese, Iranian and Saudi Arabian companies is intended to save oil tankers from having to use the pirate-endangered sea route around the Malay Peninsula.

literature

  • Wolf Donner: The Five Faces of Thailand. An economic geography. A publication of the Institute of Asian Affairs, Hamburg. Hurst, London 1978, ISBN 0-903983-53-2 (Paperback edition: University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia Queensland 1982, ISBN 0-7022-1665-8 ).
  • Dirk Ruppik: The Kra Canal becomes possible. In: Deutsche Seeschifffahrt. Issue 4, 2009, ISSN  0948-9002 , pp. 26/27.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Hans-Jürgen Witthöft: The Kra Canal - an ancient project before implementation? MarineForum 7 / 8-2015, p. 12.
  2. ^ A b Rhea Menon: Thailand's Kra Canal: China's Way Around the Malacca Strait. The Diplomat, April 6, 2018, accessed April 14, 2018 .