27 January 1958

Thanom plans to link seas

Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn announced plans to dig a canal across the Kra Isthmus, joining the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea. It would provide a speedier shipping lane that would connect maritime Southeast Asia with South Asia, the Middle East, India and Europe.

The width of the Kra Isthmus at its narrowest was only 44km. However, an interior mountain range, rising to 75 metres above sea level, clearly posed problems for carving out a canal. While Thanom said he hoped the lengthy canal would be completed during his term in office, decades later the ‘Thai Canal’ looks destined to remain no more than a dream.

The construction of a Kra Canal had already been suggested several times in the past. Previous advocates included the builder of the Suez Canal and the Japanese government when it was occupying Thailand during World War II.

27 January 1958

Thanom plans to link seas

Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn announced plans to dig a canal across the Kra Isthmus, joining the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea. It would provide a speedier shipping lane that would connect maritime Southeast Asia with South Asia, the Middle East, India and Europe.

The width of the Kra Isthmus at its narrowest was only 44km. However, an interior mountain range, rising to 75 metres above sea level, clearly posed problems for carving out a canal. While Thanom said he hoped the lengthy canal would be completed during his term in office, decades later the ‘Thai Canal’ looks destined to remain no more than a dream.

The construction of a Kra Canal had already been suggested several times in the past. Previous advocates included the builder of the Suez Canal and the Japanese government when it was occupying Thailand during World War II.