BANGKOK IS LISTENING POST IN S.E. ASIA

Wanganui Chronicle, 1 December 1949, Page 10

BANGKOK IS LISTENING POST IN S.E. ASIA

City Of Rumours, Gossip Tales Of Rice And Guns (By Noel Buckley, N.Z.P.A. Reuter Correspondent in Bangkok). This is the listening-post and sound-ing-board of South-East Asia. This is a city of rumours, some gossip, some inspired, some with basis but virtually all uncheckable. Here one may hear startling tales of large-scale smuggling of rice and guns, of radios and medical supplies, of tyres and oil, through the Northern Passes to Nationalist China, across the river-ripped ranges to the East to the Karens, south through the jungles or coastwise to the Malayan bandits. Official sources declare that all these alleged activities are either non-exist-ent or are conducted on a very small scale, under persistent pursuit by the police. Some evidence in favour of this explanation appeared recently. when police raids on rice smugglers and on two small Chinese-operated arms factories were reported by the Bangkok Press. But the atmosphere of Bangkok is peculiarly suited to intrigue stories. Virtually every race and nationality in Europe and Asia is represented ampng its population of 1,170,000.

Amid this motley population lurk many sinister individuals, ex-Nazis, well organised Communist Groups. Authoritive Allied sources say that there are no wanted Japanese or Germans in Bangkok. Popular report says the Chinese are predominantly Com-munist-sympathisers and are organised to constitute an effective Fifthcolumn, if needed, to assist the Chinese Communist Armies. Those reports were decried by an official spokesman of the Thai Government. He said that the Chinese as a community had no political ambitions, that Thailand had been kind to them and that they were well content. He added that the police kept an eye on individuals and if their activities were considered dangerously disruptive they were deported. Next year, Thailand is to enforce severe, restriction legislation against the Chinese, barring them from a variety of occupations. Recently, however, under official patronage, a SinoThai Committee was formed to promote better understanding and liaison between the Chinese Community and the Thai Government. Being a substantial minority of between three and four millions in Thailand’s total population of seventeen millions and exercising their gifts for industry and trade, the Chinese have established a firm grip on the country’s economy and, sb long as their loyalty is at all in question, they constitute a problem. With a free money-market, relatively free trade and medley of races engrossed in the absorbing game of making money, Bangkok’s muchrumoured underground activities become understandable and even assume an aspect of probability. The explanation that the operators of the lucrative “rackets” are protected by influential interests is freely—but quite unsubstantiatively offered. All this against the background of an Eastern city half in the past and half in the present helps an atmosphere of Hollywood unreality. In its narrow streets rickshaws and samlors (three-wheeled cycle-rickshaws) clamour and crowd for passage with latest model American cars, with small but noisy trams and recklessly-driven buses and trucks. There is a certain unaccustomed freedom about life in Bangkok. The Thais are Buddhists and have been a free people, ruling in their own land, throughout their history. As such they expect and accord free social associations between themselves and the European and other Communities. Restaurants—European, Chinese and Siamese —bars, night clubs and dancehalls (staffed by taxi-dancers) flourish in Bangkok and neither law nor custom requires anyone to go to bed earlier than they please. All of which adds colour, if not any greater reality, to the intrigue stories.