02Thailand’s Political and Strategic Interests in Indo-China (continued)

French Indo-China

Secondly, Thailand posses an interest in Indo-China because the peoples of Laos and Cambodia had racial, religious and linguistic links with the Thais. The Lao people were akin to the Thais in race and religion. The Cambodians had religious, but not linguistic, links with Thailand.

They did not have either linguistic or religious ties with Vietnam, where the local form of Buddhism was Mahayana and not Hinayana. Moreover Thai rulers held the belief that Laos and Cambodia, with their shortage of harbors and poor communications, would not be able to maintain their independence. They would be absorbed either by Thailand or Vietnam.

But, given their common race, religion, way of life and economic links with the Thais, Laos and Cambodia would more likely turn to Thailand rather than Vietnam. Given this view, the Thai rulers were keen to integrate Laos and Cambodia into Thailand to prevent their adversary from assuming regional dominance. But, if their goal could not be realized, they hoped to maintain a “buffer zone" in Laos and Cambodia interposed between Vietnam.