Sunday, December 28, 2008

The Myanmar Border

On our drive from Khao Lak to Chumphon we passed by a place, Isthmus of Kra facing the Indian Ocean, where you can see the Thailand/Myanmar border. There is a lay-by where you can stop and there is a plaque giving you a brief history of the border. Our Disco actually made it to the border!

Following Highway no. 4 we would head up to Chumphon, a province divided into 8 districts. The Gulf of Thailand sits on the east, while on the west are the Union of Myanmar (thaninthayi division), and Ranong.
In the horizon is Myanmar. It is bordered by the river you can see in the picture

The two girls are proud to have seen the Myanmar border!

Najihah pointing to the Thailand-Myanmar border

Nadiah posing with the Disco at the Isthmus of Kra

That is the highway we were driving on to get to Chumphon. The boundary to the north is Prachuap Khiri Khan, to the south is Surat Thani. The Gulf of Thailand sits on the east, while on the west are the Union of Myanmar (thaninthayi division), and Ranong.


Isthmus of Kra, narrowest point on the Malay Peninsula, in Thailand, directly south of the Myanmar-Thailand border. Kra lies at the head of the estuary of the Pakchan River, which forms a segment of the border.

This isthmus, 64 km (40 mi) wide, with a maximum elevation of 76 m (250 ft), has been considered as a possible site for a canal between the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Thailand, but such a project faces serious obstacles, many of them having to do with the area itself. In the rainy season the region of the isthmus poses the threat of malaria, and in the dry season there is insufficient water to operate the locks of a canal. Furthermore, a sea-level canal would have to cope with the different tidal levels of the west and east coasts, the necessity of blasting a channel through solid rock in the eastern approaches, and strong coastal currents and semi-typhoon weather in the Gulf of Thailand. The Thai parliament has deliberated over the canal project several times in the last few decades, and while it was once declared too costly, the plan has recently been revived. Plans are also in the works for a multinational private company to construct an oil pipeline that would move imported crude oil across the isthmus to the East Asian markets.

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