JAPANESE COUP

Grey River Argus, 2 January 1941, Page 5

JAPANESE COUP

PROJECTED IN SIAM. LONDON, December 31. Authoritative quarters in Hanoi allege that a Japanese plan has been disclosed for a coup d’etat in Thailand, to coincide with increased Japanese pressure for bases in southern Indo-China Four Japanese who are going to Bangkok on a goodwill mission have been instructed to organise a coup d’etat through the Thai Army, which received pursuit aeroplanes and bombers from Japan early in December. The liner “Bangkok Maru” is reported to be en route for Bangkok with 950 tons of munitions and guns. Another ship is sailing from Japan shortly, carrying tanks. The number of Japanese “tourists” in southern Indo-China is increasingly rapidly and they are seeking to penetrate the French military zones in Cambodia and Laos.