China-run Kra canal would threaten Thai sovereignty

How can the public have faith in government planning of a massive, complex and invasive international shipping canal network when huge losses, horrible traffic, poor roads and massive government malfeasance are rampant in Thai infrastructure projects?

The Chinese government is not a white knight, either, suffering many of the same problems on a grander scale, with corruption cases that dwarf those in Thailand. China also has one of the worst environmental records in the world.

Handing control of a major infrastructure waterway in Thailand to the Chinese is clearly giving away Thai sovereignty to a foreign power. Letter-writer Khun Prasan blames Thais for “running after farang”, yet he advocates running after China, a country struggling with huge crises of its own, including economic losses, territorial disputes, government repression of dissent, censorship, rights violations, and so on.

So, should Thailand give up its viable national infrastructure potential and become like Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia – the supporting cast to the vast Chinese economic-industrial “miracle”?

Maybe it would be wise, first, to see how Chinese projects in these countries have fared and how popular they are with local people, and not just with the well-connected business elite who reap the profits.

Look Before You Leap (Again)