Laos and Cambodia Thailand Aims for 'Asian Benelux'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP62-00865R000200280022-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 18, 1997
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: July 15, 1954
• Content Type: NSPR

CPYRGHT CPYRGHT
Approved For Release 2001/08/17 : CIA-RDP62-00865R000200280022-8
JU~L I
Laos and Cambodia`
Thailand Aims for 'Asian Benelux'
By Arnold C. Brackman
Special to The Christian Science Mo
Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand, having all but writ-
ten off Vietnam in the Indochina
war, is today paying close atten-
tion to Laos and Cambodia as
buffers between itself and a po-
tential Communist Chinese-con-
trolled Vietnam satellite. The
fondest hope of. the Thais is to
work out some sort -of Benelux
arrangement so that the three
Buddhist kingdoms. of Thailand,
Cambodia, and Laos which com-
prise a total of about 25,000,00o
people, can stand together.
Heretofore, in approaching
Laos and Cambodia, Thailand
has, been constrained to move
cautiously for fear of disturbing
the French. France looks upon
Laos and Cambodia as integral
members of the French. Union.
The Thais, who long have
harbored anti-French feelin-
dating back to the western colo-
iiial hey-day in the last century
and more recently to the Fran-
co-Thai border war of 1940, be-
lieve that the French continually
are exercising less and less con-
trol over Indochina and that
they may therefore take a freer
Rail Link Planned
In the pasta several months
the Thais and their neighbors
have undertaken a series of
moves.to strengthen their rela-
tionship.
Last. month King Norodom
Sihanouk-of . Cambodia, who took
refuge, in. Bangkok last year
when he forced the reluctant
French to.. agree to full Cam-
bodian independence, announced
that he would revisit Thailand
after the Geneva conference. Tie
has also invited Phumiphon
Aduldet, the 26-year-old Massa-
chusetts-born monarch of Thai-
land, to visit the Cambodian
capital at Phnom Penh.
Three months ago both coun-
tries. signed an agreement to
operate a through train between
Bangkok and Phnom Penh,
thereby linking both kingdoms
by rail. Significantly, Cambodia
in the future will rely upon
Bangkok as a principal port of
entry rather than Saigon, its
traditional Vietnamese outlet to
the sea.
A similar agreement is ex-
pected shortly with Laos. The
present Thai rail link to Udorn,
in the northeast, isp
undergoing extension to'Vienti-
ane, the Laotian capital and
Barter trade, agreements an
a customs union among the thre
are also in the exploratory stag .
And recently, too, the Thai Pro
vincial Bank announced its in
tention to open a branch
Phnom. Penh, the first bankin
connection between 'the, tw
countries.
Still further; in June the Tha
Cabinet disclosed it would pro
vide , educational. facilities fo
Laotian and Cambodian then
logical students who wish t
study at Buddhist monasterie
here.
Thailand took little diplomats
or official political notice of. the
Indochina war, fought mainly i
Vietnam, until the Vietmin
rebels, under Communist direc.
tion, embarked upon several in-
cursions into neighboring Lao
last' year., This. generated alarrr.
in Bangkok and caused the
Thais to make their first attempt,
n May of last year, to bring the
ndochina affair to the attention
of the United Nations.
This move, however, was
locked. by the French, who, at
h
s
at time; refused to consider
'internationalizing" the war.
While Cambodia today, with
is popular king, is compara-
.ively free from Vietminh activ-
ty, the situation in Laos is re-
tant deterioration. In classical
f the countryside into - su1_
cling to the last vestige of in-
direct rule in the main towns
of the country.
Frontier With China
However, Prince Kampan, the
Laotian Minister in Bangkok, is
confident that when the people
of Laos become convinced that
Laos is truly independent, they
will rally around the legitimate
government of King Sisavang
Vong. He said that at that time
most of the so-tailed Free La-
otians, now, under Vietminh in-
fluence, would, also join hands
with the King.
If Thailand is interested' in
an independent Laos and. Cam-,
bodia as buffers, a alinst Chinese.
encroachment, then ' Peking
must. also take interest in es
tablishing Laos as its own
buffer. Laos maintains a 150-
mile frontier, in heavy moun-
t ous a rites,
This would account for the
great Communist infiltration
into Laos rather than Cambodia
and also the stand adopted at
Geneva by the Moscow-Peking
axis.
With a nod from Chinese For-
eign Minister Chou En-lai, Soviet
Foreign Minister Vyacheslav M.
Molotov, in a seemingly quid
pro quo,mood, claimed that the
Communists held about three-
fourths of Vietnam, half of Laos
and a "less but developing" part
of Cambodia. It would seem that
the Communists are prepared to
take only Annam in Vietnam,
while giving up the most south-
ern Vietnamese province of co-
chin-China. In return; they
would expect that part of Laos
which has a border relationship
with Communist China.
Racial Connection
These maneuvers have not
gone unnoticed in Bangkok. In-
deed, Geneva has 'stimulated
Thailand's bid for a closer re-
lationship with Laos and Cam-
bodia.
The Thais have a fair chance
at succeeding. Religiously and
racially they are akin to the Lao-
tians and Cambodians. Indeed,
the Laotian language is the Thai
language and the people are in.
distinguishable.
Laos and Cambodia also mark
the historical high-water mark
of Hindu influence on the Indo-
china peninsula, whereas Viet-'
nam has lone been n P?U?-.,,
though not political outpost of
China.
More than merely a buffer be-
tween a Communist Vietnam and
an independent Thailand, Laos
and Cambodia may also prove
to be the southeast dividing line
in the area of influence between
these two Asiatic' giants, India,
and China.
 Approved For Release 2001/08/17 : CIA-RDP62-00865R000200280022-8
. CPYRGHT_
And Major Reductions in Manpower,
Smaller"Budget Forcing Redeployment
N.Y. Times
JUL 2 0 1954
Army Plans Far East Cut
it, HAN~ON W. BALDWIN
reductions in, Army strength in The First Cavalry Division, In the new budget, about 27.2
the Far East are planned, as part which has, been garrisoning :Hok- pQr cent of the funds asked for
of " the present fiscal year's, kaido, the northernmost Japa- (military research and develop-
i
t
n
hdrawn
streamlining of the armed forces nese island, will be wi
to accord with a reduced defense the next few mo4ths, it has been
budget. announced-., No new assignment
The budget approved by. Con- for the,First has been revealed.
giss for. the fiscal year 1955, But . three anticipated factors
which started'' July 1, provides are expectedto permit the reduc-
$28,800,000,000 for all of the tion of this-. country's Far East,
armed services, or about $1.000,_1 ground forces--now _ numbering
tal vehicle, with big rubber and
tary expenditures during the fis- Indochina,.
cal year. The Pentagon; had, on other details of the Army's fabric bags instead of wheels or
the books" an estimated carry-a troop strength and budgetary tracks, to reduce ground p-
the of. about $55,000,000,000, as program follow: (sure in marshy or muddy areas.
of June 30, from appropriations Regimental combat teams re- A new Army "mule crier ght-
in previous fiscal years, which weight weapons carrier, or
expended, even main at eighteen, the smite num- streamlined jeep that weighs only
had not been her as at present. Anti-aircraft 750 pounds and cane carry more
though. much of it was obligated. battalions will be increased from thansits weight
About $16,600,000,000 of "this 117 to 122.
carry-over represented Army ap The strength of National
propriations, $14,300,000,000 were; Guardsmen on drill pay status
Navy and $23,800, re will increase from 300,000 to 325,-
Air Force, with the balance for 000 and the Army-Reserve from
inter-service activities, 168,000 to 202,000.. Guard divi-
Actual_ military expenditures sions will increase from twenty=
in this fiscal year may, there- five to twenty-seven, and Guard
fore, be about $37,600,000,000, or anti-aircraft battalions from 101
.$4,000,000,000 less than last year. to 112.
About 22 per cent of the expendf- The Reserve Officers Training
turea will be for aircraft procure- Corps hopes to continue the pro-
went - the.. highest percentage duction of about 23,200 second
since the coifntry's military ex- lieutenants next year and to have
pansion started. a total enrollment in the senior
,.Army Will Cut 2 Divisions 'division of 147,450 students. Of-
The new. budget. reduces the ficer Candidate School output,
over-all manpower strength of Will, however, be , reduced from
the. defense forces from about 4,000 last year to an estimated
3,328,000 now to approximately 1,200 this year.
3,038;000 a year from now, with The Engineer Officer Candi-
the Army taking the biggest cut. date School at Fort Belvoir, Va.,
Before next July the Army will probably will be closed and the
be reduced from present strength Women's' Army Corps'. Candidate
of 1,407,000 to 1,164,000. ' Two di- School at Fort Lee, Va., will be
visions of the' nineteen now on curtailed to one class during the
,active duty will be inagtivated. year. The Artillery Officer Can-
These two are expected to be didate School at Fort Sill, Okla.,
withdrawn from the Far East, and the infantry and other
where redeployment `of United branches school at Fort Benning,
Ga., will remain open,
-
p
e au ~?? - - -~
- -
These appropriations for new
prova of new nbii- sions, increased strength and re
p...na...
A a
b
a
f
or
original budget request and about marine division in Korea and one I
$5,000,000,000 less than, last and'a half Army divisions and
year's defense budget. A supple- one Marine division in Japan-by
mentary appropriation request two or more, divisions.
for $1,108;000,000 for military. These factors are: Another-in-
public works is still before Con- crease in the size of the Republic
_
ce- which now mim-
Korea f
ment are earmarked for the
Army-the smallest slice of the
three services.
Among new items under devel-
opment or test are: '
A two-piece, aluminum=nylon
combat helmet, which will, fur-
Inish more protection than the
standard steel one.
Full torso armor, armored
boots, leg armor and transparent
eye armor for mine-clearing
crews.
A large, amphibious, self-pro-
pelled barge-like vessel, called
the "Barc," which can carry 60
to 100 tons of heavy equipment
out of the sea and across the
beach: inland.
The "Rolligon," an experimen-
01 Approved For Release 2001/08/17 : CIA-RDP62-00865R000200280022-8