Irredentism :Thai Nationalist Feelings(05) Both Britain and France Protested at the Publication of the Map

Irredentism :Thai Nationalist Feelings(05)

At the time of its first appearance, both Britain and France protested at the publication of the map in question, but their protest was met with the reply from the Ministry of Defense that the purpose of the map was to educate the Thai people in the history of their native country.

Subsequently the map more or less disappeared from public view, but it was put into circulation again as a result of the intense agitation which was set up in Thailand, for the restoration of its lost provinces in Indo-China.

Since this map advanced Thai territorial claims to Malaya to the South as well as to Indo-China to the East, Premier Phibunsonggram assured Sir Josiah Crosby, the British Minister in Bangkok, more than once that he had no wish nor intention to ask for the restoration of the rights which his country gave over to Britain in 1909 with respect to the four Malay States.

He told Crosby that it was useless for Thailand to interest itself in such a thing, in view of those differences—religious, linguistic and racial—between the Malays and the Thais.

The Thai Premier went on to tell Crosby that he was seeing to it that vehement anti-French agitation in the Thai vernacular press did not extend to the British or pass over into demand for the cession to Thailand of territory in Malaya. Being prudent, Phibunsonggram knew that the Thais had to be careful not to antagonize simultaneously their powerful neighbors in the West (British) and those in the East(French).