Between India and East Asia, the navigation-time and distance can be greately reduced by which of the following? 1. Deepeing the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia. 2. Opening a new canal across the Kraisthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman Sea. Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

The navigation time and distance between India and East Asia can be significantly reduced by opening a new canal across the Kra Isthmus. This proposed canal would connect the Gulf of Thailand (Gulf of Siam) with the Andaman Sea [2]. Such a project would allow ships to bypass the Strait of Malacca, shortening the transit distance by approximately 1,200 kilometers and reducing travel time by two to three days. While the Strait of Malacca is a critical maritime chokepoint between Malaysia and Indonesia [1], deepening it would primarily address the draft limitations for larger vessels (like VLCCs) rather than reducing the actual geographic distance or navigation time for the route itself. Therefore, only the second statement regarding the Kra Isthmus canal is a valid method for reducing distance and time.

Sources

1. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Canal
2. [1] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 16: India–Political Aspects > INDIA AND THE GEO-POLITICS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN > p. 64