INDO-CHINA: Kettle-Storm in Toyland

• Share

INDOCHINA

Since 1863 Cambodia has been a protectorate of France within the jurisdiction of French Indo-China. But France has let Cambodia remain a kingdom. The present King, whose name is Préa Bat Samdach Préa Sisowath Monivong Chamcha-Vra-pong Harireach Barmintor Phouvanay Krayveofa Sulalay Préa Chan Crung Campuchéa Tippedey (Sisowath Monivong to his friends), is somewhat like the Little King of O. Soglow's cartoons: he likes to be everywhere at once, to do everything himself.

His subjects are not at all surprised when he pops out of his palace in the morning and runs to a dairy shop to buy butter for the royal breakfast tray—if he were merely to ask for it, he says, palace red tape would keep him waiting until dinner time. Like the Little King, he loves simple pleasures. Once a year he retires to a floating pavilion next to his palace for 30 days' meditation, but no sooner has he entered with great pomp than he scoots out the back door, dallies 29 days with his 100 wives (in better days he had twice as many), slips back in, and on the 30th day publicly emerges, greatly refreshed from his meditations. He is frequently seen dressed in fantastic gaud, seated in a brilliant howdah atop a huge elephant, with his sceptre in one hand, and a Rolleiflex camera in the other.

King Sisowath Monivong likes also to take part in affairs of state. Last week there were grave affairs for his attention.

He received Admiral Jean Decoux, who as Governor General of Indo-China is actually his boss, to discuss the upstart claims against Cambodia by Thailand, lately Siam.

His Majesty and his boss talked of Japanese-incited demonstrations in Bangkok demanding the "return" of a slice of Cambodian territory to Thailand; of Vichy's rejection of official Tnaï claims to that and some other territory; of renewed demands. They decided Thailand had little basis for these demands except the prostration of France. Thailand cited a secret treaty concluded between the monarchs of Cambodia and Siam in 1863 granting Siam certain concessions—on which, however, Siam later officially backed down under French pressure. The case of Thailand was neither more nor less justifiable than that of France when she first took Cambodia.

But as the week progressed the Franco-Thaï quarrel grew into an ironic kettle-storm which somehow summed up all the topsy-turvy diplomatic scrambles of 1940. The same France which could once send a stern note to an Eastern potentate and get presents, favors, concessions in return, meekly begged ratification of a non-aggression pact of a country whose name sounded and politics looked something like Toyland. Thailand ignored the request. Its Government at Bangkok grew insistent on the subject of its claims against Indo-China. It looked as if mighty France might have to give in to the aggression of an Eastern toyland. This week Prime Minister Luang Bipul Songgram said: "If force is inevitable, war will be waged with a minimum of bloodshed."