BANGKOK: Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas (pic) has pledged to complete an updated 90-day review of the Land Bridge scheme, saying previous studies must be reassessed against today’s geopolitical tensions, war risks and disruption to key global shipping routes.
Ekniti gave the update on Wednesday (May 6), after Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul appointed him chairman of the committee studying the megaproject.
He said the review was intended to provide clearer answers to the public, particularly on the project’s broader economic implications, as global conditions had changed significantly and a wider study was now needed.
Ekniti said the committee’s task was to assess all dimensions of the Land Bridge scheme, including its feasibility and potential impacts, within a 90-day timeframe.
The study would not start from scratch, he said. Instead, the committee would update previous studies and add new assumptions based on the current global context.
These include geopolitical tensions, war-related risks and problems involving passage through major straits, all of which have implications for the global economy and international logistics.
Anutin earlier said the new committee would study geopolitics, investment worthiness, logistics and other factors connected to the project, with the goal of reaching a conclusion within 90 days.
Ekniti said he had been assigned to lead the work because the National Economic and Social Development Council, or NESDC, is the main agency responsible for economic and social assessments under his supervision.
The NESDC will serve as the committee’s secretariat.
He said earlier studies may not have fully and carefully considered the latest factors in all dimensions, including the environment, society and the views of communities in the project area.
The Land Bridge is a large-scale project of national importance, he added.
The formation of Ekniti’s panel follows growing opposition from local residents and civic networks in the South, where concerns have been raised over land expropriation, environmental damage, disruption to livelihoods and fears that the region could be turned into a large industrial corridor.
The government has been trying to revive the long-debated scheme, which would link the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand through deep-sea ports, railways, roads and related infrastructure. The project has been estimated at around 1 trillion baht and would involve ports in Ranong and Chumphon linked by about 90km of road and rail infrastructure.
Critics have also questioned whether the scheme would be worth its economic and environmental costs, while concerns have been raised over possible impacts on marine ecosystems, coastal resources, fisheries, tourism communities, national parks and wetlands in Ranong and Chumphon.
Ekniti said the committee would take a comprehensive look at the project to ensure that any conclusion served the national interest.
“I confirm that I will perform this duty to the best of my ability as a Thai citizen, based on transparency and straightforwardness, so that this study will bring the greatest benefit to Thailand,” he said. - The Nation/ANN
