BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand has withdrawn two Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) reports for planned ports in Chumphon and Ranong after the government agreed to suspend the Land Bridge project and review development plans for the southern region. Jiraroj Sukonrat, director of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP), said the two reports had been returned from the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP).
The reports covered a proposed port at Laem Rua in Lang Suan district, Chumphon, and another at Laem Ao Ang in Mueang Ranong district, Ranong. Both projects form part of the planned infrastructure linking the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea under the Southern Economic Corridor development scheme.
The Cabinet on August 4, 2026 acknowledged the agreement between the Ministry of Transport and the Southern Economic Corridor development study group, SEC Watch, which called for the project to be put on hold while a new southern development master plan is prepared. Before the EHIA reports were withdrawn, they were being reviewed by the expert committee responsible for environmental impact assessment reports and had received 222 points requiring revision.
Jiraroj said the Transport Ministry and OTP decided to follow the memorandum of understanding with SEC Watch by suspending the project and allowing the committee responsible for the new Southern Development Master Plan to proceed with its work. It has not yet been decided whether the Land Bridge project will proceed in its current form, be reduced or expanded, or be replaced by other transport infrastructure.
OTP plans to prepare terms of reference for a completely new feasibility study covering all 14 provinces in southern Thailand. SEC Watch has proposed having an academic institution or the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) conduct the study. Once the TOR is drafted, it will be submitted to the Southern Development Master Plan committee for consideration before being presented to the Cabinet for approval and funding. OTP expects the procurement process for consultants could begin in 2027.
The new study will establish an overall framework for the transport infrastructure needed across southern Thailand. Once priorities are identified, urgent projects can then undergo detailed feasibility studies and be considered for further development. The review therefore shifts the immediate focus from advancing the existing Land Bridge design to reassessing the South’s wider transport needs before deciding which major projects should move forward.
