Use of Singaporean forces
Where would the Singaporen Army use its tanks seems to be the question.
The answer may be Kra Isthmus, Thailand, a narrow neck of the Malay Peninsula, c.40 mi 60 km wide, Sw Thailand, between the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Thailand. It has long been the proposed site of a ship canal that would bypass the congested Straits of Malacca.
Kra Canal feasibility study contract splits Thai government
Reports that the authorities in Thailand have commissioned a feasibility study into the controversial Kra Canal project, awarding the $25 million contract to Phuket Pas Project, a Hong Kong company whose investors are drawn from Japan, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. I have not been able to confirm these investors, but note that all the countries mentioned are those that would benefit least, and have most to loose from the canal building.
"Announcing the award of the study contract, deputy prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyutdh said the 100km long canal would benefit the Thai economy, as China is keen to use Thailand as a gateway for quicker and smoother access to South-East Asia and the Indian Ocean," said Fairplay.
"According to the local paper Matichon, the agreement with Phuket Pas was signed in secret with 12 members of the Canal committee refusing to approve the award. Phuket Pas, however, stated that there were a hundred people present at the signing and expressed optimism that it could raise the $20 billion for the project," noted Fairplay in its report.
http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/news/news_928.htm
This is old news from 2003, but the consequences of building this canal will mean significant redirection of shipping from Singapore. Shipping is one of significant reasons for Singapore's commercial success. Singapore is also a significant employer and investor in Malaysia.
In August 2006 it was reported that "The three-year preparatory feasibility report by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Kra Canal Project that was finished and approved last year by the Cabinet recommended that a complete feasibility study be carried out as soon as possible. Yet somehow there has not been any follow-up. This inertia prompted the Royal Naval Academy to take up the issue and brought all concerned authorities together to discuss the pros and cons of the Thai Canal Project. Captain Soonpuen Sommaphi, the spokesman of the Naval Academy, pointed out that it would be a huge project that needed to be thoroughly debated by think-tanks and public forums.
Kamnuan Chalopatham, chairman of the ad-hoc committee, has said outright that the future of Thailand and its economic development depend on the digging of canals in the South. He said he believed that canals would alleviate the lingering effects of the economic crisis and turn Thailand into a regional commercial and financial hub.
He and his committee chose the A9 route out, one of 10 under review. To those in the know, the 120-kilometre A9 route is the most feasible path, cutting through the provinces of Krabi, Phatthalung, Nakorn Si Thammarat, Songkhla and Trang."
From Wikipedia (but available elsewhere):
In the 20th century the idea resurfaced several times again, now changing the preferred route to somewhere in Southern Thailand, to connect the Bandon Bay near Surat Thani with Phangnga. A Japanese plan for a canal in 1985 would have used over twenty nuclear devices each roughly twice the explosive energy of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The latest proposed site is across Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang provinces. If finished, it is believed that the canal would bring an economic boost to the nearby area and the whole country. The canal would compete directly with ports in the Strait of Malacca area, including Port Klang and Singapore.
The idea is still entertained by a few Thai politicians today, however the high costs as well as ecological problems make it unlikely to be realized in the near future. Instead currently the construction of a railroad connection between Surat Thani and Phuket is discussed. In 2005, however, an internal report prepared for U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was leaked to The Washington Times, spelling out China's strategy of underwriting construction of the canal across the Kra Isthmus complete with Chinese port facilities and refineries, as part of its "string of pearls" strategy of forward bases and energy security. The Chinese plan called for construction over ten years employing roughly 30,000 workers and costing between 20 and 25 billion American dollars.
This is also a reason for recent interest in the canal. The Straits of Malacca, just under 1000 kilometres long, are narrow, less than 2.5 kilometres at the narrowest, and a depth of 25 meters at it’s shallowest. It is heavy used by oil tankers and bulk carriers. Some 80 percent of Japan's oil supplies pass through the Straits. Any planned canal in Thailand would mean that large ships could travel through the region from India and on to China and Japan without passing through the heavy pirate regions of the Straits of Malacca.
In case anyone needs reminding, the Kra Ishtmus is how the Japanese invaded Singapore in WW2.
If the canal is built, the Thai and Burma are likely to receive considerable income from the venture. This may explain why Thai government has been trying to find a iolence-free solution to its Southern provinced. Apolitical strategy would remove a pretext for opposition group support from other Muslim countries in the region, Malaysia and Indonesia. Burmese migrant workers account for 80% of Thailand's migrant workers.
)