Massive canals project to be explained

The committee headed by General Phongthep Thetprateeb, secretary-general of the General Prem Tinsulanonda Statesman Foundation, held a meeting at the Thammarin Thana Hotel in Trang with politicians, local authorities, and officers from five provinces that the project will pass through – Trang, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung and Songkhla.
After the meeting, they said project coordinators in the five provinces would seek to inform people along the route about the benefits of the project and urge them not to resist the development.
Phongthep said studies into the Klong Thai Canals project had shown how it would boost local economies, improve the livelihood of people through job creation, and help resolve the insurgency in the South and spur more stability.
“This project will make Thailand great on a global scale. It will improve global marine navigation and benefit Thailand directly,” he said, adding that navigation in the Malacca Strait was already overcrowded and faced danger from pirates.
The new canals would cut through the Malay Peninsula and link the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand, shortening the journey around the Malay Peninsula by 700 kilometres. Klong Thai Canals would be 140 kilometres long, 400 metres wide and 30 metres deep. There would be two parallel canals with major roads, rail lines and bridges along the canals – if it gets the go-ahead.
It was disclosed that the budget for the project would be about Bt1.68 trillion. Construction would take six years to complete and it was estimated that the project would make a profit of around Bt120 billion per year.
However, Phatthalung activist Senee Jawisuth said local people had heard only the positive side of the project, as no one had told them about the impact from such a huge construction project.
“The volunteers informing the people about the Klong Thai Canals project are actually paid for their work. They only tell the good things about the canals and I am very worried that if the project gets the green light, local people and the environment will suffer badly,” Senee said.
He said the canals would be built near the important Thale Noi wetland in Phattalung – home to many species of birdlife.
Ideas to build a shipping canal through the narrow isthmus in southern Thailand have been floated from time to time over recent decades, but they never materialised due to concerns over security and the environment.