SIAMESE ARMY & NAVY FORCES BATHE IN STREETS OF BANGKOK

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22882, 28 February 1949, Page 5

SIAMESE ARMY & NAVY FORCES BATHE IN STREETS OF BANGKOK

(N.Z.P.A. —Reuter —Copyright.) (11 a.m.) BANGKOK, Feb. 27. Fighting between naval and army elements of the Siamese services broke out in the main streets of Bangkok last night. The fighting began shortly after unknown persons seized temporary control of the Bangkok Government radio at 8.30 p.m. and announced that the Premier, Marshal Pibul Songkram, and the Cabinet had resigned.

* The announcement added that the new Premier was Mr. Nai Direclt Jayanama, the former Siamese Ambassador to London and a member of the wartime Free Thai underground movement.

The radio went off the air during the announcement and, when it resumed broadcasting later, said that Marshal Pibul 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 Marshal Pibul’s residence between midnight and daylight. The casualties include an unknown number of dead and wounded.

A reliable eye-witness said he saw bodies being loaded into trucks. Army-controlled armoured vehicles fought a dawn street battle with marine-manned anti-tank guns near Marshal Pibul’s residence. Vehicles and guns suffered direct hits. By noon the opposing army and navy units had ceased fighting. Meanwhile army-controlled and navy-controlled, radios broadcast simultaneaously to the Bangkok population conflicting bulletins. army claimed to have quelled the revolt of dissident elements when the navy-controlled radio claimed there had been “brutal fighting” after the army had opposed 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.