Asia 735
nationalist government that was seeking to avenge its losses and France had just been
routed by Germany. The partition of France on July 10, 1940, presented the perfect
opportunity for Thailand to take advantage of a situation in southeast Asia that France
could no longer administer. The Japanese, with whom the Thai government was sym-
pathetic and friendly, had already occupied most of France’s colonies in Southeast
Asia. The Thai government demanded the return of provinces in Cambodia and Laos,
territories that France had wrested from Thailand.
On August 16, 1940, five divisions of Thai forces were reported to be fortifying the
Thai border with French Indochina. On September 17, France rejected Thai claims
to territory within the borders of French Indochina and stated that it was “resolved
to defend the territorial integrity of Indochina in all circumstances and against all
foreign enterprises.” Border clashes started in November, and war began in earnest
in December 1940. Thai victory was incomplete. Thailand had the upper hand after
the January 9, 1941 offensive, but this changed in a matter of days. Though severely
limited in southeast Asia, France won an important naval battle—the Battle of Ko
Chang—on January 17. Japan then intervened and mediated a ceasefire signed on
January 28.
Japan forced an agreement on March 11, 1941, in Tokyo that gave Thailand
the desired territory. France ceded three Cambodian and two Laotian provinces to
Thailand, roughly 42,000 square miles in total. Thailand and Japan’s relationship
grew much closer, but not close enough for Japan which occupied Thailand (see
MID#1785).
Coding changes: Start Date changed from November 23, 1940. End Date changed
from January 22, 1941.
MID#1792
Dispute Number: 1792
Date(s): May 7, 1946 to November 17, 1946
Participants: 220 France/800 Thailand
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (Negotiated)
Fatalities: 101–250 deaths
Narrative: France controlled large swaths of Indochina until World War II, when the
Japanese seized those holdings. In 1941 Japan ceded border territories to Siam, but
France attempted to reassert control over its prewar holdings following the war, and
this led to clashes with Siamese troops beginning in May 1946. Numerous clashes
followed until both countries agreed to reset their boundaries to prewar locations
on November 17, although Siam continued to claim over 200,000 square miles that
France forced it to cede during the previous century.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from April 1946. End Date changed from
December 7, 1946.