Confusing Reports— REVOLT IN SIAM: FIGHTING IN BANGKOK STREETS

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 February 1949, Page 5

Confusing Reports— REVOLT IN SIAM: FIGHTING IN BANGKOK STREETS

(Recd. 10.5 a.m.) BANGKOK, February 27. Fighting between naval and army elements of the Siamese services broke out in the main streets of Bangkok last night. Fighting began shortly after unknown persons had seized temporary control of the Bangkok Government radio at 7.30 p.m. and announced that the Premier, Marshal Phibul Songgram, and hi§ Cabinet, had resigned. The announcement added that the new Premier was Nai Direck Jayanama, a former Siamese ambassador to London and a member of the wartime Free Thai Movement.

The radio went off the air during the announcement and, when it resumed broadcasting later, it said that Marshal Phibul Songgram was still Premier and the interruption was not authorised.

Heavy sporadic artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire ensued at the arsenal, the Grand Palace and near the Premier’s residence between midnight and daylight, The casualties include an unknown number of dead and wounded. Reliable eye-witnesses said he saw bodies being loaded into trucks. Dawn Street Battle Army-controlled armoured vehicles fought a dawn street battle with marine-manned anti-tank guns near ‘ the Premier’s residence. Vehicles 1 and guns suffered direct hits. By noon the opposing army and navy units had ceased fighting. Meanwhile the army-controlled and navy-controlled radios broadcast simultaneously to the Bangkok population conflicting bulletins. The army claimed to have quelled the revolt of dissident elements, while the navy-controlled radio claimed that there had been “brutal fighting” after the army had opposed the naval elements trying “to do their duty to the nation.” The police seized and guarded the post office, and both radio and air communications out of Bangkok were suspended.

Many Arrests

An undisclosed number Of Siamese Army officers and 21 Chinese, suspected of being Communists, have been rounded up for allegedly plotting the overthrow of the Government, headed by Marshal Pilbul Songgam, an earlier message stated. An authoritative source said the plotters intended to carry out a mass murder of the ministers similar to the Burmese assassinations in July,

1947, and seize the Government by force, failing which they would burn down the entire city.

Marshal Songgram said the plot against the Government had been totally smashed. His Government was supremely confident of maintaining peace and order throughout Siam and of safeguarding the country from the machinations of disruptive forces. Lieutenant-General Sir Neil Ritchie, Commander-in-Chief of the British land forces in the Far East, is visiting Bangkok as the guest of the Siamese Government, says Reuter’s correspondent. It is understood that he is meeting Marshal Songgram and other Siamese leaders to discuss defence problems common to Siam and British South-east Asia.