01Thailand’s Political and Strategic Interests in Indo-China

French Indo-China

Thailand’s foreign policy towards French-Indo-China in the period between 1938 and 1950 was formulated and executed by Thai leaders who  took special account of their country’s long-standing political and strategic interests in that Peninsular.

First, Thailand possesses and interest in Indo-China because of its longstanding strategic importance. For several hundred years Indo-China had been a pawn in a competition for power and security between Thailand and Vietnam.

In the Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries in particular, these two rival states were in contention for control over Cambodia and Laos. In their dealings with Vietnam, Thai rulers regarded Laos (as a geographical expression) and Cambodia as the key to the security of Thailand.

The importance of these two small neighboring states derived from their geographical position, the use of which by enemy would posed a serious threat to Thailand’s independence and territorial integrity. The danger arising from a strong, hostile power established in strength in Indo-China as a whole was confirmed when Thai rulers were obliged to deal with France who replaced Vietnam as Thailand’s adversary.

Thus apart from the importance of Burma, Indo-China constituted the key to Thai security interest in the area as a whole. In classical balance of power practice, Thailand was concerned either to exercise control itself over Laos and Cambodia or to deny control of these two states to any third state, eastablished in Indo-China