The opposition People’s Party has sharply criticised the government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul for pressing ahead with the controversial southern Land Bridge project, despite longstanding doubts about its financial and environmental viability.
In parliament on Tuesday, People’s Party MP Pukkamon Nun-anan questioned why the coalition, which has agreed to spend only four months in office, continues to tout the Land Bridge as a priority project, even though it was absent from the formal policy statement it presented on Monday.
The project envisions a 90-kilometre transport corridor linking two large new ports in Ranong on the Andaman coast and Chumphon on the Gulf of Thailand, aimed at offering an alternative to the congested Strait of Malacca.
Ms Pukkamon, however, argued that the economics do not add up.
Unlike a direct maritime route, she said, the Land Bridge would require unloading cargo, transporting it overland and reloading it onto another vessel, which adds cost and logistical hurdles that make it unattractive to shipping firms.
She pointed to government studies that predict the project would break even in 24 years, generating 58 billion baht in its first year, largely from fuel sales to cargo ships.
But to achieve such figures the project would need to sell 140 million tonnes of fuel annually, more than triple the current sales made in Singapore.
‘These numbers are implausible,’ Ms Pukkamon said, accusing state agencies of inflating forecasts to justify the scheme.
While the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy claims the project would yield 260 billion baht in profits, a National Economic and Social Development Council study projected a loss of 120 billion baht, even when broader economic benefits were factored in, she said.
Environmental experts also warned of at least one billion baht in lost fisheries income per year, while six World Heritage sites along the proposed corridor face severe risks, she added.
Ms Pukkamon accused the government of using the Land Bridge as a campaign tool to woo southern voters, rather than focusing on realistic development.
Over the past two years, Thailand has wasted valuable time as the Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn Shinawatra administrations pushed ahead with costly roadshows abroad to promote the Land Bridge, despite lacking clear figures on its viability, she said.
In the end, not a single credible investor emerged, according to Ms Pukkamon.
With only four months remaining in office, even the most skillful negotiations are unlikely to convince anyone to fund the project if the government insists on moving forward, she said.