WORLD COMMENTARY WHAT HAPPENED IN SIAM

Grey River Argus, 18 March 1949, Page 7

WORLD COMMENTARY WHAT HAPPENED IN SIAM

By “Mens” | Published by arrangement with “The Standard”] Newspaper readers have a difficult time nowadays. Journalists are Highlighting event’s for them occasionally; and then, say, the Berlin issue seems to be of supreme importance, almost a matter of peace and war. Afterwards one does not hear a word about it. Then, again, Norway, Palestine, Japan and all sorts of other places are given prominence. No wonder that small revolutions in Costa Rica Paraguay and Nicaragua cannot attract- any attention at all. And so it is with Siam. A small report here and there about shooting in Bangkok—and the reader forgets all about it. However, recent events in Siam are of interest, not so much for their own sake as because they indicate a definite —deplorable—trend in international politicos. What then happened in Siam? MILITARY DICTATOR , I wrote on the forcible assumption of power by Field Marshal Songram, now dictator of Siam. At that time a statement of the new Government was published saying that Marshal Songgram’s task was merely the disarmament of the Free Thai Liberation Army (which had fought the Japanese) after which the Marshal would be demoted from his position as dictator to ’that of an army commander only. This statement was necessary because Songgram had been one of the most valiant pro-Japanese in Siam. It was he—who in 1942 had declared war on the Allies. It was the Free Thai Movement which had taken up arms against Japanese and against thdir Siamese co-operators. In 1947 Marshal Songgram felt, apparently, still sufficiently diffident of his past to camouflage his dictatorship. In 1947 to have co-operated with the Japanese and to have declared war against the Allies was still enough of an indication that no active assistance from the side of Britain and America would come forward. What about 1949? BANGKOK, Feb. 17. “A state of emergency would be proclaimed in Siam within the next 24 hours against the growing Communist menace the Prime Minister Marshal Phibul Songgram announced to-day. The choice before the Siamese people was bloodshed or peace." He was confident that Siam would never go Communist. The Government would take good care of a small section of discontents who might as-’ similate Communist teachings.” So here we have the old story as an introduction. What next? BANGKOK, Feb. 19. “Britain has agreed to supply arms immediately to equip five) infantry divisions of the Siamese Army, says Reuters diplomatic correspondent.” Apparently, however, although Marshal Songgram had previously put out of action the Siamese Parliament, there was some opposition to his new dictatorial measures left. BANGKOK, Feb. 27. “Fighting between naval and army elements of the Siamese services broke out in the main streets of Bangkok last night. The lighting began soon after unknown persons had seized temporary control of Bangkok Government radio and announced that the Prime Minister Marshal Songgram had resigned. The announcement added that the new Prime Minister was Mr Nai Jayanama, a former Siamese ambassador to London and a member of the Free Thai underground movement.” However — BANGKOK, Feb. 28. “A Siamese Government official communique to-day claimed that the situation in Bangkok had been speedily restored to normal.” The wind has blown over. Marshal Songgram’s coup was successful, the attempted revolt against him failed. Another dictator has been installed with British and American help. And why could this help be obtained? Because of the famous red bogy. That same bogey that allowed Hitler to seize power by claiming that the reds had planned to put the Reichstag on fire. FACT AND FICTION But is Marshal Songgram’s just a Reichstag lire story? Fortunately we have a very recent report about the true situation in Siam. Andrew Roth, the American “Nation’s” competent South East Asia correspondent, in an article written in December has the following to say about “Fact and Fiction in Siam”: I. Fiction: Siam is a radical country filled with marauding Communist bands, and Bangkok is ready to lead turbulent South East Asia into the Soviet orbit. Fact: Siam is the most conservative least politically aroused country in South East Asia. It has no starving peasantry. There may be now several hundred Communists in a population of eighteen millions. Amongst the Chinese community there may be a few thousand. Marshal Songgram himself in a personal interview to Roth added: “I don’t think there are any real Siamese Communists.” 11. Fiction: A South East Asia Com- i inform located in Bangkok directs Communist activities in the entire re- L gion. Fact: British, American, French, Chinese and Siamese intelligence agencies have search in vain for such an organisation. 11l Fiction: The Soviets maintain in Bangkok a huge embassy staffed by 200 persons engaged in mysterious activities. Fact: The Soviet legation consists of 29 people, including men, women and children. The staff consists of one minister and five Soviet diplomats. “If you can trace a single incident in South East Asia back to the Soviet Legation in Bangkok, I wish you’d tell me about it,” said the military attache of one of the chief anti-Soviet powers to Mr Roth. “We haven’t been able to find any evidence.” But the lies and fiction debunked above keep on flourishing. How can they? One of the reasons is that Reuter’s correspondent in Bangkok was a publicity writer for the Japanese sponsored Chandra Bose during the war and one for Marshal Songgram before. And why do they keep on spreading falsehoods? Because under the flag of the “red bogy” one can achieve anything to-day, and it is thus that Marshal Songgram and many other reactionaries are keeping themselves in power.