BANGKOK, April 29 — The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has given Thailand impetus ‌to advance a longstanding plan to create a logistics link ​between the Indian and Pacific oceans, with its government on Monday seeking to court Singapore as a potential investor.

Thailand’s government has said it ‌is reviving a “Land Bridge” project across its narrow southern peninsula after recent disruptions in ​the Strait of Hormuz underscored the vulnerability of global shipping choke-points, including the nearby Malacca Strait.

The previous administration drafted a law for the Land Bridge but the proposal fell by the wayside during a ​bout of political turbulence, with public hearings and environmental and health impact assessments incomplete and some resistance from residents.

A proposal is expected to be submitted to cabinet in June or July and the government would seek investors for the estimated ฿1 trillion baht (RM121 billion) project, potentially starting in the third quarter, Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said ‌at the weekend.

Alternative route

A decades-old idea, the Land Bridge envisions two deep-sea ports, one ⁠in Ranong on the Andaman Sea and ⁠another in Chumphon on the Gulf of Thailand, linked by ⁠90 km of road ⁠and rail plus energy infrastructure ⁠like pipelines.

The project would offer an alternative route to the Malacca Strait, the 900-km long channel bounded by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, which provides the shortest sea route ⁠from East Asia to the Middle East and Europe.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul outlined the plan during a meeting on Monday with Chan Chun Sing, the defence minister of Singapore, a big regional investor that sits at the end of the Malacca Strait, through which more than 100,000 mostly commercial ships passed last year.

“He sees it as ⁠an economic opportunity for Thailand and for foreign investors, if the project can be successfully pushed forward,” Thai government spokesperson Rachada Dhanadirek said, referring to Chan, adding ⁠he expressed interest in the plan.

Indonesia’s finance minister last week caused a stir by ⁠openly musing about ⁠ways countries could impose tolls on ships as a way to monetise the Malacca Strait, before ​saying that would not be possible and leading to ​several subsequent clarifications.

The Land Bridge is regarded ‌as more viable than the “Kra Canal”, a centuries-old idea to ​cut a shipping passage across southern ​Thailand, which met resistence due to environmental, financial and security concerns. — Reuters