Korn thanks the government for heeding warnings and shelving the landbridge plan. He points out that parliamentary mechanisms fulfilled their role of checks and balances and recommends the government take this as a lesson. He proposes accelerating the 'Southern Connect' plan to develop the South, connecting Bangkok with Malaysia.
On 30 Jul 2026 GMT+7, Korn Chatikavanij, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, expressed his views on his personal page 'Korn Chatikavanij - Korn Chatikavanij' regarding updates on the Landbridge project. He stated that the government-appointed committee reviewing the project's feasibility has reached important conclusions about how to proceed.
Korn revealed that the committee concluded today that "the project still carries risks and has relatively low financial viability, along with operational and investment risks." Therefore, they recommend "reconsidering the suitability of developing the landbridge project before moving forward." Additionally, the committee expressed concerns about further environmental and ecological impacts.
"In simple terms, the plan is shelved for now," Korn said.
Korn also expressed gratitude to the committee chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister (Ekniti) and emphasized important political and administrative lessons: "Let this be a lesson for this government and past governments that have pushed this issue—to carefully deliberate with data and reason before proposing any project, whether worth trillions or hundreds of billions." He also praised all parties involved in this decision, saying he is glad the parliamentary mechanism contributed to cautioning and balancing the government's ideas and proposals, and he commended the government’s openness to listen and reconsider its stance.
Although the landbridge plan has been shelved, Korn stressed that developing the South remains a crucial issue that cannot be ignored. The Democrat Party emphasizes that the South still awaits appropriate and targeted development, proposing an alternative plan called 'Southern Connect,' which covers investment in three main infrastructure areas:
1. A motorway construction linking Narathiwat directly to Bangkok.
2. A dual-track electric railway system connecting Thailand's rail network to Malaysia's rail system.
3. Maritime infrastructure, developing efficient deep-sea ports on both of Thailand’s coastal shores.
Korn concluded by stating that the Democrat Party is ready to support investment proposals that are reasonable and truly beneficial to entrepreneurs as well as all citizens.