Pare 4 T
THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1958.
MY NIGHT IN AN OPIUM DEN
IT
LOGAN
GOURLAY
CHAPTER SIX OF HIS WORLD TOUR
with
Prince Ned
OTHERWISE THE GRANDSON OF THE KING OF SIAM WHO INSPIRED THAT MUSICAL THE KING AND Y
was in a squalid back alley in the heart of Bangkok and it looked like the door to a Chinese laundry which never washes white.
The sign outside said only опе thing - Drink that celebrated American soft beverage but behind the door with the unintoxi- cating red sign was 11 thriving opium den, one of the hundreds throughout Bangkok, the fascinating capital of Siam, or Thai- land, where everything and anything is legal.
about the size of the average English church half with row upon row of long wall-to-wall wouen tables which I can only describe as refectory style with
ut intending sacrilege.
I stepped inside with his Highness Prince Serene Prasobsukh Sukhsvasti, grandson of the King of Siam who inspired "Anna and the King of Siam" and the musicnt "The King providing and 1,"
Protector
Each table or bench was divided into small cubicles but the partitions were single spars
TIE privacy, But then, us Prince Ned pointed out, oplum provides its own privacy,
I was a busy night in the oll den, every cubicle that was visite had its smoker reclining an the hard wood ng it were eiderdown,
mostly wearing shorts and singlet that had never been touched by Chinese Imundry. But Charlie, the Chinese keeper, sald with a broad Chinese-smile he could find room for us.
The prince who is no more than Ave feet tall was originally nicknamed Nid, Siamese for nothing but amull, but in the American university where ke was educated became Ned.
I must explain right away that Prince Ned was there as guide and protector. He is not
an oplem addict. Neither
Prince Ned explained that we am Just wanted to see what went
1. though I reud Graham on but that we were not spies
Greene diligently.
from the Narcotics Division of
the United Nations. Charlle, We were greeted, of course, by smiling a Httle less, said we had alaze so thick it was nearly better buy some oplum anyway. edible and by a Chinese keeper so thin he was hardly discernible.
den-
seven shillings, which might be considered very cheap for A passport to paraitise.
We were led by Charlie to a vacant cubicle, pascing several, rows of reclining smokers. They were either engrossed in pre paring the oplum for
or gazing rapturously
At
smoking heavy cloud of opium smoke and the sighed contentedly. He repeated celling after smoking. A low the process.
the blissful were sleeping with
miles of drugged exotic dreams, Prince Ned sald patriotically: "You'll notice that not only b the den run by Chinese but most Chinese. of the customers are You don't find many Thals in dens like this."
When we were installed in cubicle squatting on the hard wood. Prince Ned produced from his pocket a bottle whisky, the produce of Scotland fortunately, not or his own beloved Thalland,
Rapturous
of
We
The setting
lady,
well-fed A plump, obviously a neophyte, sat up in an opposite cubicle and stored
The at us unevenly.
prince said: "She's probably a street walker trying to forget
don' trade. You women in the dens, At one time they wouldn't have been ad mitted but everything is chang ing."
see many
дэ
ROUND
UP
usually includo escorting admitted to a place ilke this.Moscow columnists to an opham den. They
and just cause troublo in the The lady
opposite make everybody nervous." A cubicle leaned. over and asked lesser prince might have been BRITISH Europoon Alway if we would kindly give her a tempted to stop for a consoling spot of oplum. Prince Ned nerve-soothing, trouble-cradicat gallantly offered her whisky. Ing puff, Instead he stopped She looked horribly shocked, she outside next to the non-intoxi- screamed Stamese abuse si us
Women!
cating red, sign to sip a little whisky, whiteh Is Blower but safer. He said again: "Every- thing is changing, women de- finely shouldn't be admitted." I had to tell Prince Ned they to admit even going
It was time to go. Wa left Charlie puffing and smiling were beatifically. Prince Ned sald women to the House of Lords sadly:
"Women shouldn't be in England.
ORIENTAL GLANCES
First, about a
cat..
and
1.
ambiguous shall not
in
her BRITISH Ambassador to rassing
Siam is a gentleman called meanings. Richard Whittington and elaborate. The prince and 1 settled down
he has a cat and it is to whisky and conversation. If
He HAD to spend a day Siamese, of course.
for a plane you think an oplum den is a He added, with something like
the inevitable Calcutta waiting
Prohibition to bring me here. mail setting for a conversation a Siamese chuckle: "Soon there accepts
remarks laws are less strict thero than. you don't know Bangkok. It is won't even be any princes left facetious a cacophony of car horns hoot In Slam. Certainly there were diplomatically. He has to. in Bombay and Delhi, but when
before, nearly
asked for a bottle of chan- ing, bicycle bells ringing, starved too matiy dogs whining, mosquitoes buz- many Chinese oplum smokers. WHITE elephant, the first pagne the walter sald: "I can't ging,
lizards
eroaking and in the old days.
since 1927, has been found in give you any." I asked for a said: und the waiter Siamese shrilling which can be "The king had many wives Slam and presented to the king whisky heard everywhere except in the and many chlidren and they all according to tradition, which "I can't give you any. I can't smoke-kusulated opium dens, became princes and princesses. decrees that such a xarity is give you anything to drink. It
Now we are dying out and by almost sacred,
Is the one day of the week whizn the new laws we cannot pass I wouldn't have missed the Colcutta is dry." It was also the
when his who our tiles on to our children and ceremony
Majesty one day of the year when I try we are monogamous."
garlanded it and fed ft with to celebrate my birthday. the His grandfather
king, specially selected bananas and I will after he gave up the celibate young coconuts and
• PRIZE-FIGHTING here is a which Look unto himself always treasure the announce- unique indigenous art priesthood,
ond several wives
countless ment which said: "The white allows the contestants to kick as He fathered more elephant had all the traditional well as punch each other. Their 70 children. than
Now the requirements
pink feet are bare. A Siamese band Including
It boty colour."
also said: plays during the a white inspire them. At have approved of anyone, pur- prince has only one wife and a
"The possession of ticularly a prince, coming to a mere six children.
He said: "Of course, poly- elephant is considered lucky display in the Bangkok stadium place like this, neither would
cause economically and has been the would be my grandfather. He was a very impossible these days. I could several wars"
He spent 20 years not support a borde, as a Buddhist priest before he became king.
The prince talked about Anna, the English governless worked for his grandfather King Mongkut and looked after his father, the Prince Adizara.
Charlie said: "Whisky velly silly. Opium better for making happy, oplum quicker" He was doubtlessly dead right, but stuck to the slower stuff, while "I never knew her of course He started to prepare the quick- but my father used to tell me er, obviously on the principle she Was a very forbidding concubines. that it would be silly to let it woman. She certainly wouldn't lie unumd.
With a thin stick he scooped at a small ball of oplum which looked like sticky black oint- ment. He lay down with his head on square tin covered
held with a grubby cloth and the ball of opium on the end of the stick over a small oil lamp.
picus man.
for
it
long
1
"But it is difficult
ban oplum completely in a country
with such like this
a large Chinese population. With legal ised dens like this the Govern- ment can keep some check on it and also make some from taxation."
to
revenue
After heating the ball several minutes he stuffed Inta the bow! of the wooden pipe, blew and inhaled strongly. Finally he exhaled
gamy
of wives
one
rounds to night's
will start nights from London to Moscow,
via Copenhagen, soma time this summer under an agreement signod here. And Russia's Aero. flot will fly Moscow-Cogen- hagen-Lomika.
The flights-DEAS longost-m will start on a four-tiger-n- week schedule, lator to be extended to six a week, three retum fights by each company.
Lord Douglas, chairman of EEA, said that, like most new, air routes, this one would prob. ably not pay fom the Gryt couple of years, but he hoped I would promote bigger tourist exchanges between the two countries.
BEA will at first use Vickers Viscount turbo-prop planes and the flying time will be about six hours. If Acroftot 1190 TU-104 jels, it will be is than four hours. But they may use 1.1.13 because they aro turbo-prope less noisy than the jots.
Lord Douglas said he had 'g- chased the new air service with Krushchov, who expressed pleasure that it would. start, and said: "It la much Detter to carry passengers to London than bombe,"
BOOTS
BEA has ordered six Comet Mark IV B's for the end of 1959, sald Lord Douglas, and when were available these
there would probably be non-stop Moscow-London service with a flying time of about four hour As it is, the new service wdil be the quickest way of getting to Moscow, not only from London but also from New York "until U.S. Unes open xeir OWD service."
Lord
sald Douglas
Fon- American Airways were "toying with this idea," and he had the impression that Aerofol wouki welcome it.
of the American lady tourist next Katmandu
to the sold to her husband: "I'm real disapplonted. They do each other more damage at the fights in Madison Square Garden and they're only using their fists."
that moment Rakkiat Loogmatulce, described in the programme as "tough sluggered Aatman with limbs," klicked his opponent under the chin into unconsciousness. The lady de- embar- cided to stay. I left.
and children. The only uncarn- LOCAL monetary unit is ed Income I have as a prince the tickal, which is worth from the State amounts to about
At about fourpence. It is pro- £1 per year."
The prince, who lost £20,000 nounced tickle. Bartering in business deals after the war, is the accepted custom for even most purchases, so now works for a living as a and magazine editor translator
Information the most innocent transac British for the
His
don't tion can take on Services,
duties
FRANCE TELLS BRITAIN 'DON'T MEDDLE IN
From SAM WHITE: Algiers.
ROBERT LACOSTE, French Resident Minister in Algeria, told me that any
the
V Anglo-American "meddling" in We didn't argue with Charlie, Algerian war would touch off "tragic disorder" Be shumed off and
brought here. back a small round brown, lin a supply of black The den, what 1 could see of containing
was a low-ceilinged raam oplum. It cost the equivalent of
The evidence is most conclusive
test
TEMA
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rifles at
the ready He was referring to the guns and possible consequences of the weave through the thick shop- "good offices" mission of Mr Ping crowds. Kobert Murphy, United Every now and again someone States Under-Secretary of Is stopped and searched, State, who has just re-
Enter a public place with a turned from a visit to parcel and you are immediately President Bourguiba of ordered to open it. To complete the picture of a city at war a Tunisia.
midnight curfew replaces the blackout.
THE ALGERIAN WAR'
and candidales, not just the yes-men as before."
"But even without Sakiet, here vin Egypt, Syria
M. Lacoste then turned on the Bourguiba would have tried to Tunizin." get Britain and America to
Americans. interfere in the war.
usual
M. Lacoste glanced out of his window and with a wide sweep "If the U.S. could have of his hand pointed out a brought herself to believe that brilliant panorama of the 130- France could win this war, it year-old French city. would have
by been finished slow. As it is, U.S. doubts have
"Saklet only made it easier. At the first hint that we were prepared to do a deal with the Algerian rebels-und this is what Anglo-American good fed Cairo's hopes." offices it extended to Include Algeria would mean this place would blow up."
Elections
I asked M. Lacoste if the optimism felt in Paris last December about an early French victory is still justified.
He replied: "It is now more justified than ever,"
'Chaos'
"When I arrived here two years ago," he said, "this place was rotten. Everybody went in fear. Look at it now-complete order and tremendous growing M. Lacoste said he was con- prosperity. When I asked him if Bour- aident that free elections could "We wi never desert our were no! holding the be held throughout Algeria this compatriots here. The chuvs guiba
that would be produced by our Nasser-Inspired Nationalists at year.
AN American
expedition, led
by W. M. Russell, his enter. cd the upper
gorges Arua
of the to River Valley
a three-months search
Abominable Snowman,
start
for the
pasty,
The main expedition consisting of the leader, two Sherpa other members, twelve | guides, and four beagle dogs, started their tiek from Biratna- gar, South-east Nepal,
The Nepal government haa given permission for dogs to.
out" the go along to "smell Snowman. But they mustn't kill it.
Karachi
RCHABLOGICAL excavaTM A tions at
الا الله کرد
Kot Dijl, in the princely Khairpur state, 200 miles north of Karachi, have... added 700 Years to the know- ledge of Pakistan's history.
Until now, Harappa-Mohen- lodare, an Indus Valley civilisa tion, dating back to 2300 BC, was considered the oldest, and WAT contemporaneous with Mesopotamian civilisation,
The Kot Diji excavations besides ante-daling the Indus Valley civilisation by 200 years, makes the Kot Diji civilisation o'der and contemporaneous with the Nile Valley civilisation.
Besides pottery, the Hot DI excavations have revealed
with massive fortified citadel, *pacious rooms and mudbrick flooring,
Singapore
M. Lacoste, burly former trade union leader and life-
M. Lacoste expanded on the good offices long Socialist, is far and Anglo-American
bay to win support from the He added: "We are deter- departure would be even worse and away the most discussed mission when I asked him if West, M. Lacoste said: "It's not mined to see to it that these then the chaos in India
French blunder in bombing the
the elections are carried out on the Indonesia. French politician today.
Tunisian village of Sakiet was Bourgulbo who controls
rebels.
basis of complete equality "I am a Socialist. I believe in
1,200,000
rency Europeans the right of self-determination. "It is they who control him. between Iis pugnacity and obelinacy not responsible for its creation.
We are determined to give the make him the physical symbol
Bourguiba while pretending to and the 9,000,000 Muslims.
"In regions where Muslims Muslim population full equality of those in Franec who wish to
be a friend of the West hea see the three-year-old Algerian
succeeded in bringing Russia have the majority of the popula- with the French.
tion they will have a majority "We know that that is what war through to a finish.
into the Algerian war.
rupiah. they really want and that they of the representation.
"And wo are going to get would never wish to sever their contre Muslim tie with France.” centre and loft
Suspicion
He spoke to me against a background of growing pessi- mism in Paris and of intense suspicion in Paris and here that the "good offices" mission of Mr Murphy in France's dispute with Tunisia would lead to an inter-nationalisillon“. of The Algerlan problem.
He received me in his huge office in the skyscraper building which houses France's admin- istrative machine in Algeria.
The bustling diy outside resembles nothing more than a South Coast town on the eve of D-Day.
The place is alive with treaps, end despite the fact that it is alx months since the
last terrorist culrage here, bristles with military alertness.
In the brilliant Mediterranean aunshine patrols with tommy-
1957 GILES ANNUAL
BUY NOW! stock is limited. $5.
at
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST LTD,, HONG KONG & KOWLOON
"Don't you believe a word of ih" he said, with a broad smile, An fncident like Sakiet was Inevitable. You can't expect an army to allow itself indefinitely to be attacked from behind 4 are now capturing come from supposedly neutral Frontier. Eastern Europe and are brought
"The bulk of the weapons we
PROPOSED
DEFENCE
PACT “WITH A HATURAL
PLACE FOR ALGERIA"
AM
"Ho_says it's a good idea and he's putting in another 30,000 troops to convince them !'!
London, Mancom direios
A
INGAPORE merchants, trad- ing with Indonesia have refused to necept Djakarta our-
because
of miliona counterfelt notes are flooding Java and Sumatra.
Result: a sharp drop in the exchange rate of the Indonesian
The ometal rate has dropped from three rupiahs for one Strolls dollar to nearly six. The black market rate has
rupiah dropped from elovan for one Straite dollar to 19.3.
Traders say the counterfeit nalez are so well made it is impossible to tell them from genuine ones.
The dud notes are reported to be made in Japan.
Christchurch, N. Z.
NUCLEAR power planta.mayt
.be uned for generating electricity at American Antarctic bases, the Commander of tho United Stater Antarctle expedi- Llon, Rear Admiral G. Duick, rald.
He sald atomic plants would tremendously reduce supply problems. When the bones were built, 42 per cent of the cargo (was diesel fuel. When the boson were being re-suppiled the duel component was 76 per cent of the cargo.
"Atom power is the sowiK! for the future, especially for Hallott, Wilkes and McMundo," he added.
Admiral Dufek could... · "any with authority" that the United States had no military basta is tho Antarctic. and had "no intention whatsoever to "bulki milliary bases In the Andfocutio, sub-Antarctle or the surrounding waters."
Admiral Dulok mid the latest Ögures showed, 'file Autarcija
bask force wen spending money of the rate of « milion dollars a month in New Zeninud.