To boost regional investment and cross-border trade in Southeast Asia, Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, a former Thai prime minister, is advocating a bold plan to cut a canal across the narrow part of southern Thailand between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
Chavalit was in Tokyo from Thursday through Saturday — along with members of his New Aspiration Party, a leading opposition party — to solicit support in Japanese business circles for the project and for feasibility studies, as well as to exchange views on Asia's financial turmoil.
"We had a very positive response from all the businesspeople, especially construction and business organizations," Chavalit said in an interview with The Japan Times and other media outlets.