Between India and East Asia, the navigation-time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following ?
1. Deepening the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia.
2. Opening a new canal across the Kra Isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman Sea. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2