1941: Thailand

War with French Indo-China.

Early in January the intermittent hostilities along the frontier of Thailand and French Indo-China, which had begun on Sept. 28, 1940, flared into open warfare of large-scale dimensions. Taking the offensive on Jan. 5, the Thai forces began a series of attacks by land and air along the border. Martial law was proclaimed in 24 Thai provinces neighboring Indo-China, as Thailand's official spokesman warned its people that 'we must now settle accounts with the French.' The bulk of the Indo-Chinese Army, estimated at 9,000 French troops and 70,000 natives supported by 150 aircraft, was mobilized in the frontier area to repel the attack. Both in troops and airplanes, however, the Thai Army was apparently superior to the Indo-Chinese forces. It was difficult to gauge the exact degree to which the Japanese were encouraging or directly supporting Thailand's invasion of Indo-China. Charges that Japanese pilots were flying Thailand's planes were not fully established, although it was known that considerable numbers of Japanese planes had been sold to Thailand but none to Indo-China. It may have been significant that during the first week of January a series of 'incidents' occurred in Indo-China, climaxed by a clash at Hanoi on Jan. 5 between 20 Japanese and 6 French soldiers. French sources charged that the Japanese were engaging in a program of 'threats and pressure' in an effort to force Indo-China to adopt a more favorable attitude in the negotiations for a trade treaty which were being conducted at Tokyo. The military invasion by Thailand was obviously a suitable method of weakening Indo-China's resistance to Japan's demands, and did in fact ultimately produce that effect.

On the southern front, the initial Thai attacks carried well over the border. By Jan. 9, the French military authorities admitted a withdrawal of five to ten miles within Cambodia, while dispatches from Bangkok asserted that Thailand's forces were advancing with the support of air raids on Sisophon and five other towns, i.e., an area covering much of the Cambodian province. On Jan. 12, a week after the beginning of the offensive, the Thai troops invaded the northern region of Laos, where advances of lesser extent were made. Although the French forces were driven back in the land campaigns, they scored an impressive naval victory on Jan. 17 in the course of a surprise attack delivered in the Gulf of Siam. One French cruiser, supported by 5 gunboats, virtually destroyed the Thai fleet consisting of 3 torpedo boat destroyers and 2 armored cutters. Two of the Thai destroyers were sunk, a third was severely damaged, and one armored cutter was destroyed, with no loss to the French vessels. After the middle of January the land fighting became more desultory, with the Thai forces continuing to advance at a slower pace.

End of Hostilities.

Japan's offer to 'mediate' was accepted by the Vichy authorities on Jan. 23, 'in consideration of the friendly relations existing between Japan and France, as defined by the Franco-Japanese accord of Aug. 30 last.' Hostilities ended on Jan. 28, followed by the signing of a formal armistice on Jan. 31, aboard a Japanese cruiser anchored off Saigon. Thailand's troops were left in possession of the occupied areas of Indo-China, and a neutral zone of 6 miles was fixed between the Thai and Indo-Chinese armies. Negotiations for a treaty of peace, still under Japan's mediation, were then transferred to Tokyo, where a preliminary agreement was reached on March 11 and a definitive treaty was signed on May 9. (See also JAPAN.) By the terms of the peace treaty, Indo-China ceded to Thailand an area estimated to total approximately 26,796 square miles of territory in Cambodia and Laos. In Cambodia, especially, Thailand thereby gained a considerable slice of Indo-China's rich rice-producing lands. Within the ceded areas French nationals and Indo-Chinese natives were to retain full rights of residence or of transfer. Annexed to the treaty were three protocols, providing for the French evacuation and delivery of the ceded territories, for a border demarcation commission, and for establishment of a demilitarized zone. The treaty also provided that any future disputes between Thailand and Indo-China would be submitted to Japan's mediation.

Increased Influence of Japan.

Although Japan acquired no direct control of naval or air bases in Thailand as a result of this settlement, its influence in Bangkok, already considerable, increased greatly after signature of the peace treaty. Observers from Bangkok reported on May 30 that Japanese advisers, formerly stationed only in the army and navy departments of the Thai government, had entered all departments, and that their numbers were steadily growing. This process was accelerated following Japan's military occupation of southern Indo-China at the end of July. Premier Luang Bipul Songgram became open dictator on July 29, when the Council of Regency named him Supreme Commander of Thailand's armed forces, with the ranks of Field Marshal, Admiral of the Fleet, and Air Marshal — posts formerly held only by sovereigns. On the same day the government issued a notable statement declaring that Thailand's foreign policy rested on 'a program of independence, self-reliance, equal friendship for all nations, and unrestricted foreign trade.' Thailand, the statement read, was 'not threatened by military or economic pressure' from 'any power or group of powers,' and refused to be concerned over 'foreign-inspired rumors that the country was threatened by military aggression.' On Aug. 1 Japan and Thailand signed an economic agreement under which the latter extended credits of 10 million bahts (about 15 million yen) to Japan for purchases that presumably included rice, rubber and tin, while on Aug. 2 Thailand recognized Manchoukuo. Reports that Japan was also seeking military and naval bases in Thailand were underscored by a statement from Secretary Hull on Aug. 6 that a Japanese move into Thailand would be 'a matter of concern' to the United States. On Aug. 15 the governments of Japan and Thailand, 'further to enhance the traditionally friendly relations' between them, elevated their diplomatic representatives to the rank of Ambassador. On Aug. 28 Thailand's Finance Ministry signed an agreement providing for the purchase of 25 million bahts ($8,750,000) of gold from Japan. Mr. Willys R. Peck, new American Minister to Thailand, reached Bangkok on Sept. 15, coincident with reports that Thai-American relations were expected to improve as the result of Thailand's need for American products and its statements of intention to resist aggression from any quarter.

The latter note was continually stressed in all Thai official declarations up to the Japanese invasion of Dec. 8. Premier Luang Bipul Songgram admitted in a radio broadcast on Nov. 29 that the nation faced a 'great emergency,' but declared Japan had guaranteed that its troops in Indo-China were 'not intended for use in an invasion of Thailand.' As late as Dec. 6, the Premier told the press that Thailand was 'prepared to resist all aggression but had no secret treaties with any foreign power.'

Japanese Invasion of Thailand.

On Dec. 8, at 2 a.m., Japanese troops invaded Thailand by land and sea; simultaneously, the Japanese Ambassador presented an ultimatum to the Thai government demanding transit of Japanese troops to attack British territory. The Cabinet accepted the ultimatum at 7:30 a.m., when they ordered Thai troops to cease firing after five hours of resistance. At the close of the year, the exact status of Thailand was still unclear. Reports — all from Axis or Japanese sources, however — asserted that Thailand had concluded a military alliance with the Axis, and that Premier Luang Bipul Songgram had wirelessed felicitations to General Tojo on the successes of Japanese arms and had urged Chiang Kai-shek to make peace with Japan. An authorized London spokesman declared on Dec. 15 that Britain regarded Thailand as an enemy-occupied territory, 'with all the consequences that follow,' but as late as Dec. 28 Singapore reports indicated that no Thai land or air forces were actively engaged in the war. See also FRENCH INDO-CHINA; JAPAN.