SINGAPORE: A spokeswoman for the government of Thailand said that Singapore has shown interest in the country’s project to build a land bridge connecting ports on the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, bypassing the Strait of Malacca.
She said that Singapore did not commit to a particular role in the development of the land bridge, with a report in the Bangkok Post as saying, “They recognise the project’s potential and the opportunities it could create for Thailand and the wider region if it proceeds.”
On April 20, Deputy Prime Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told members of the media that it is going ahead with the long-planned project that will connect the Indian and Pacific oceans and will reportedly cost 1 trillion baht (S$40 billion).
The spokeswoman, Rachada Dhnadirek, made these remarks after a meeting between Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, who is on a working visit to Thailand from April 26 to 28.
The report added that she said that talks concerning the land bridge are still in their early stages. Mr Anutin and Mr Chan discussed a number of other issues, most of which concerned defence. However, energy security, particularly developing fossil and renewable energy for greater regional resilience, was an important topic that was also talked about.
Thailand’s land bridge
Significantly, the long-planned bridge will bypass the Strait of Malacca, which has been in the news lately in the context of the war in the Middle East and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused a global fuel crisis.
In announcing that the project will be pushing through, Mr Phiphat, who also oversees the Ministry of Transport, said the current situation has underscored the importance of key shipping routes.
Bloomberg quoted him as saying, “The Middle East conflict has demonstrated the advantage of controlling a transport route. Thailand will have a great advantage by operating the link between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.”
Mr Phiphat noted that other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, have shown interest in the project, which needs the private sector, given its high cost. DP World and Hong Kong’s New World Development are also interested, Thai officials have said.
There have been concerns raised over the project, including ones from provinces in Thailand’s southern region. Mr Phiphat is scheduled to make a visit to the areas where the infrastructure will be built to gather feedback from locals.
Additionally, there are concerns over the cost and environmental consequences of the land bridge, with a Thai Senator asking if impact assessments on health and the environment have been completed. /TISG
Read also: Thailand to build S$40 billion land bridge to bypass Malacca Strait
