00:00Thailand has revived a 1 trillion baht or 30 billion U.S. dollar land bridge project
00:06aimed at creating an alternative shipping route to rival the busy Straits of Malacca.
00:12Reuters reports that Prime Minister Anu Tinchan Virakul revived the proposal after the closure
00:18of the Strait of Hormuz exposed the risks of relying too heavily on major maritime chokepoints.
00:25The project would connect new deep-sea ports in Chumpon and Ranong through a 90-kilometer corridor
00:33supported by rail and road links.
00:36Thai authorities say the route could cut logistics costs by nearly 30% and reduce transit times by up to
00:4414 days.
00:45The government said it hopes to capture part of the region's transshipment market
00:50and attract cargo currently moving through the Straits of Malacca.
00:54However, Eugene Mark of Singapore's IC's Yusof Ishaq Institute doubts the project can compete with existing shipping routes.
01:04He warns that attracting investors and shipping companies remains a major challenge.
01:10The proposal has also faced opposition from local communities and fresh environmental scrutiny
01:16over its potential impact on marine life and local livelihoods.
01:22Shruti Menon, FMT
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