Table Of ContentSt Antony's / Macmillan Series
General Editors: Archie Brown (1978-1985) and Rosemary Thorp
(1985- ), both Fellows of St Antony's College, Oxford
Recent titles include:
Jeremy Adelman (editor)
ESSAYS IN ARGENTINE LABOUR HISTORY, 1870-1930
Amaztia Baram
CULTURE, HISTORY AND IDEOLOGY IN THE FORMATION OF BA'THIST
IRAQ, 1968-89
Archie Brown (editor)
NEW THINKING IN SOVIET POLITICS
POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN THE SOVIET UNION
Deborah Fahy Bryceson
FOOD INSECURITY AND THE SOCIAL DNISION OF LABOUR IN
TANZANIA, 1919-85
Sir Alec Caimcross
PLANNING IN WARTIME
Colin Clarke (editor)
SOCIETY AND POLITICS IN THE CARIBBEAN
David Cleary
ANATOMY OF THE AMAZON GOLD RUSH
John Crabtree
PERU UNDER GARCiA
Joao de Pina-Cabral and JOM Campbell (editors)
EUROPE OBSERVED
Guido di Tella and Carlos Rodriguez Braun (editors)
ARGENTINA, 1946-83: THE ECONOMIC MINISTERS SPEAK
D.R. Dorondo
BAVARIA AND GERMAN FEDERALISM
Ann Lincoln Fitzpatrick
THE GREAT RUSSIAN FAIR
Haruhiro Fukui, Peter H. Merkl, Hubertus Mtiller-Groeling and Akio
Watanabe (editors)
THE POLITICS OF ECONOMIC CHANGE IN POSTWAR JAPAN AND
WEST GERMANY
Heather D. Gibson
THE EUROCURRENCY MARKETS, DOMESTIC FINANCIAL
POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL INSTABILITY
Avner Gil'adi
CHILDREN OF ISLAM
David Hall-Cathala
THE PEACE MOVEMENT IN ISRAEL, 1967-87
John B. Hattendorf and Robert S. Jordan (editors)
MARITIME STRATEGY AND THE BALANCE OF POWER
Beatrice Heuser and Robert O'Neill (editors)
SECURING PEACE IN EUROPE, 1945-62
Linda Hitchcox
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN SOUTHEAST ASIAN CAMPS
Derek Hopwood
HABIB BOURGUIBA OF TUNISIA
Amitzur Ilan
BERNADOTTE IN PALESTINE, 1948
Hiroshi Ishida
SOCIAL MOBILITY IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN
J.R. Jennings
SYNDICALISM IN FRANCE
A. Kemp-Welch
THE BIRTH OF SOLIDARITY
Leslie McLoughlin
IBN SAUD: Founder of a Kingdom
Iftikhar H. Malik
US-SOUTH ASIAN RELATIONS, 1940-47
Ziba Moshaver
NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROLIFERATION IN THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT
George Philip
THE PRESIDENCY IN MEXICAN POLITICS
Rtitta Pittman
THE WRITER'S DNIDED SELF IN BULGAKOV'S THE MASTER AND
MARGARITA
Brian Powell
KABUKI IN MODERN JAPAN
Laurie P. Salitan
POLITICS AND NATIONALITY IN CONTEMPORARY SOVIET-JEWISH
EMIGRATION,1968-89
Gregor Schollgen
A CONSERV ATNE AGAINST HITLER (translated by Louise Willmot)
Wenguang Shao
CHINA, BRITAIN AND BUSINESSMEN
Pierre L. Siklos
WAR FINANCE, RECONSTRUCTION, HYPERINFLATION AND
STABILIZATION IN HUNGARY, 1938-48
H. Gordon Skilling
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1918-88 (editor)
SAMIZDAT AND AN INDEPENDENT SOCIETY IN CENTRAL AND
EASTERN EUROPE
Joseph S. Szyliowicz
POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT
Haris VIavianos
GREECE, 1941-49: FROM RESISTANCE TO CNIL WAR
Thailand's Policies
towards China,
1949-54
Anuson Chinvanno
M in association with
Palgrave Macmillan
© Anuson Chinvanno 1992
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1992
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of
this publication may be made without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or
transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with
the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988,
or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying
issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court
Road, London WIP 9HE.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil
claims for damages.
First published 1992 by
MACMILLAN ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS
and London
Companies and representatives
throughout the world
Copy-edited and typeset by Grahame & Grahame Editorial, Brighton
ISBN 978-1-349-12432-9 ISBN 978-1-349-12430-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-12430-5
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
To
My Parents
Sondhi & Supim Chinvanno
Contents
u
Preface
List of Abbreviations xii
Note on Transliteration xiii
INTRODUCTION 1
REVIEW OF SINO-THAI RELATIONS BEFORE 1949 22
Sino-Thai Relations within the 'Tribute System' 23
The Chinese in Thailand in the Late Nineteenth Century 27
The Rise of Nationalism 30
Thai Government's Policies after 1932 32
Developments during the Pacific War 0941-1945) 37
Thailand's Relations with the Republic of China 41
Conclusion 44
2 FROM A VOIDANCE TO HOSTILITY, 1949-1950 48
The Return to Power of Pibul Songgram 48
Directions in Thailand's Foreign Policy 50
The Refusal to Recognise the People's Republic
of China 57
Thai Government and the Overseas Chinese 61
The People's Republic of China and the Overseas
Chinese 66
Conclusion 69
3 TOWARDS AN ANTI-COMMUNIST POLICY,
1951-1952 73
Continuation of the Non-Recognition Policy 73
Thai Government and the Overseas Chinese 75
Domestic Politics and the Restoration of Anti-
Communist Law 80
Communism in Thailand 84
American and ~ritish Attitudes towards Thailand's
Anti-Communist Policy 86
vii
viii Contents
Thailand and Multilateral Anti-Communist Initiatives 90
Conclusion 93
4 PERCEPTION OF CHINESE COMMUNIST
AGGRESSION,1953-1954 96
The Establishment of the Tai Autonomous Area in
Yunnan 96
The People's Republic of China's Minority Policy 99
Was Pridi in Yunnan? 101
The Role of the Chinese Nationalist Government 104
Thailand and the KMT Troops in Burma 106
The Evacuation of KMT Troops from Burma 111
Thailand and the Laotian Crises 113
Conclusion 117
5 THAILAND AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
SOUTHEAST ASIA TREATY ORGANISATION,
1954 121
The Eisenhower Administration and Indochina 121
The 'United Action' Proposal 124
The Geneva Conference on Indochina and the Revival
of Thailand's Request to the United Nations Peace
Observation Commission 127
The Establishment of the Southeast Asia Treaty
Organisation (SEATO) 130
Assessment of the SEATO Framework: A Thai View 136
Conclusion 138
6 COMPLEX INTERACTION OF FACTORS:
THAILAND'S POLICY TOWARDS THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 141
Notes 158
Bibliography 185
Index 194
Preface
The history of Thailand's relations witb tbe People's Republic of China
(PRC) after it was established on tbe Chinese mainland in 1949 is an
interesting component of Thailand's modern diplomatic history. There
are many oscillating developments - changes no doubt dictated by botb
internal political situations and international politics. We have witnessed
tbe non-recognition policy of 1949-50, tbe anti-Communist rhetoric of tbe
early 1950s, tbe slight relaxation of tension between 1955 and 1957, tbe
hostility of tbe 1960s, tbe ping-pong diplomacy of tbe early 1970s, and tbe
establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and tbe People's
Republic in 1975. Thailand, in its relations witb tbe PRC, bas moved from
tbe positions of avoidance to hostility to friendship. It now appears tbat
during tbe 1980s tbis new-found friendship has grown in warmtb and
cordiality, and bas become a relationship of interdependency in tbe face
of a perceived common threat to tbe peace and security of tbe region. It
was reported, for example, in tbe 19 March 1987 issue of tbe Far Eastern
Economic Review, tbat Thailand bought arms, tanks and artillery pieces,
from tbe PRC - sometbing quite untbinkable only a decade ago.
Many academic articles and books have recently been published, mostly
in Thailand, on tbe subject of Thailand's relations witb tbe People's
Republic of China. They concentrate mainly on tbe question of the
establishment of diplomatic relations and the developments leading up
to it, as well as developments since. Works such as Narumitr Sodsuk's
Samphanthaphap thang kant hut rawang thai kap satharanarat prachachon
jin (Diplomatic Relations between Thailand and tbe People's Repub
lic of China), and Chantima Ongsuragz's Nayobai tangprathet khong
satharanarat prachachon jin lae phonkrathop thi mi to prathet thai
(The Foreign Policy of the People's Republic of China and Its Effects
on Thailand) have become standard university textbooks on tbe subject
Moreover, tbere are several works which concentrate on a single subject
area. For example, G. William Skinner's Chinese Society in Thailand
and Kennetb P. Landon's The Chinese in Thailand are still excellent
works on the overseas Chinese in Thailand; Robert T. Wood's Patriotic
Struggle, People's War: China Draws the Line in Thailand and Daniel
D. Lovelace's China and the 'People's War' in Thailand, 1964-1969
studied the Communist movement in Thailand and Peking's policy towards
Thailand during tbe 196Os. But little attention has been given to tbe 1950s.
ix
x Preface
The matter concerning the establishment of diplomatic relations bas been
exbaustively studied, but little bas been discussed on the question wby sucb
a policy proved impossible in 1949. This book, therefore, bopes to fill this
apparent gap.
The major sources for this book are transcripts of documents in various
archives. They are: (1) transcripts of Crown-copyrigbt records the original
of wbicb are in the British Public Record Office; (2) transcripts of State
Department records in the US National Archives; (3) transcripts of records
of Ministry of Foreign Mfairs of Tbailand; and (4) transcripts of Thai
government records in the Thai National Archives. References in the notes
are to the files in which such documents are classified in the respective
archives.
Many thanks are due to Professor J. A. A. Stockwin of St Antony's
College, my Oxford supervisor, who encouraged me to publisb this
work; to Miss Sally Marks, of the United States National Archives;
Khun Suwanna Cbaichindasut, of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Mfairs'
Library and Arcbives Division; Khun Ubon Chaisa-nguan, of the National
Archives of Thailand; and the staff of the British Public Record Office, for
without their assistance the researcb work would not have been possible.
I would also like to extend my appreciation to the librarians and staff at
St Antony's College, the Scbool of Oriental and Mrican Studies Library,
the Oxford Institute·of Commonwealth Studies Library, and the Thailand
Information Centre at Chulalongkorn University. In addition, I wisb to
thank Professor Adam Roberts for bis encouragement and assistance
throughout my residency in Oxford; my cousin Dr Apicbart Cbinwanno
for inspiring many ideas on the subjects of Thai foreign policy and
Sino-Thai relations contained in this book; and Jitjumlong and Sunisa
Harinasuta for their friendship and help during my Oxford days. Special
thanks go to Dr. Nigel Brailey, Professor Stuart Simmonds, and Miss Judy
Stowe for reading and offering comments on various parts of the book in its
earlier thesis form. I also wish to thank Rosemary Thorp and Tim Farmiloe
for their assistance and patience. I am much indebted to the Royal Thai
Government, whose scholarship makes my education and lengthy sojourn
in Britain possible. Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to my parents for
their constant encouragement as well as financial support.
Finally, the following points apply throughout this book:
1. The Thai have always called their country Muang Thai or Prathet
Tbai, but the official name to foreigners was Siam until 1939,
when Prime Minister Pibul Songgram changed it to Thailand. It
was changed back to Siam near the end of the Second World War,
