HEO BAR HANTURN SARVICE: INTERVIEW WITH SIR ALEC DUDELAS HOME : Imborviewor
Ta
H.R. Howse (s)
Duration: 10' 35"
Load in: The British Foreign Secretary, Sir Alec Douglas Home leaves Britain
on Thur@lay/Friday (HATCH NEWS) on a visit which will take him to several
countries in Asia.
Before he left, ne put questions to him in an interview
specially given to the Far Eastern Service about his forthcoming visits to
Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan in particular.
Question: Foreign Secretary, you will be in Thailand at the time of Her Majesty
the Queen's visit. Do you see the fact of Nie Queen 'o visit as setting a
special seal on Anglo-Thai relations?
Six Ales: Yes I think that this is the most effective way in which friendship
belwoen Thailand and Britain could possibly be marked and it will be a ́ great
erent both for Mor Majesty and I think for the Thai people.
Question: On Anglo-Thai relations as a whole what particular role can
Britain play in relation to Thailand's economie development plans which are
of great importance to Thailand?
Six Alag: Well we do give a certain amount of help to Thai development already
and of course I shall love the opportunity of talking to the Foreign Minister
possible
Thon again we are part of the
and other ministers about/futuro plans and we will listen vory sympathetically
to anything they of course ask or require.
five-power arrangement for the defence of South East Asia so we have vory -
much in our minds the independence of Thailand of course as a nation in her
own right.
Question: On the question of Thailand and her own interests and security,
one gathers that at the moment the Thai leaders are very concerned about the
spread of the Indochina conflict, particularly about the situation in Laos.
Britain is a member of SEATO along with Thailand and is co-chairman of the
Genova conference on Indochina, In theso two capacities do you envisage that
you will be able to give reassurance to the Thai leaders about their fears
on the spread of the conflict?