Indian naval exercises with Thailand and Indonesia are aimed in part at ensuring security for a new sea route linking the Indian and Pacific oceans, a top Indian general said.
Lieutenant-General Aditya Singh also said in an interview the military backs the idea of allowing foreign airlines at its airport in Port Blair, capital of the tsunami-struck Andaman and Nicobar islands, to boost tourism.
India held its first naval exercise last week with Thailand and concluded semi-annual exercises with Indonesia. Both took place near the mouth of the Malacca Strait, the main sea lane between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea leading to the Pacific.
Although India is not party to any security arrangement for the Malacca Strait, the immediate purpose of the joint patrols is to prevent smuggling, piracy, drug and gun trafficking, poaching and illegal immigration in the region, Singh said. "But the fact with things like the Kra canal, the Andaman and Nicobar islands will come into play," he said.
Plans to dig a canal across the narrow Kra isthmus in southern Thailand have been bandied about for more than 300 years.
The idea has some support among Thai politicians but has stalled over the huge potential costs and environmental impact. A railroad to carry oil across the isthmus has also been discussed.
Singh, who visited tsunami-hit areas of Thailand last week with his Thai counterparts, did not disclose any knowledge of fresh plans for a Kra canal.
But a report prepared for US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, leaked to the Washington Post in January, said China was willing to underwrite construction of the $20 billion canal, complete with port facilities, as part of its "string of pearls" strategy of forward bases and energy security.