Memo from LORD ELTON
(See also memorandum of conversation with Mr. Wongse on same day)
12th March, 1978
Re:
THAILAND
Bangkok
(1) Mr. Phiraphongse, Director of Department of International Organisations
Foreign Office
:
A highly intelligent and well-informed young man. His interpretation of the Vietnamese/Cambodian Confrontation differs from that of Mr. Wongse (see above). He did not advance the theory that the Vietnamese were merely extending political protection to ethnic Vietnamese within the state of Kampuchea. He had accompanied Upadit into the meeting in Phnom Penh. The Thais had taken care not to raise the question of the Vietnamese as this would be interference in a metter not concerning them. But the Khmer went out of their way to speak of it - which they did with emotion. Phiraphongse asked one of their officials whether the Vietnamese wanted to adopt the rote of the French. "Oh no", he said "The French only wanted to colonise
The Vietnamese want to swallow us.
IT The Khmer have led the Thais to expect an exchange of Ambassadors with them within 6 months. This is a necessary preliminary to end. the border skirmishes. He said that there was no danger of these escalating in the meantime as they have on the Khmer/Vietnamese frontier. He had no view on the probable Chinese reaction to the possible establishment of Vietnamese hegemony over Cambodia.
us.
On the Vietnamese/Laotian relations, contrary to Mr. Wongse, he explicitly said that the Laos were very much under the influence of the Vietnamese.
Indo-Chinese stabilisation
He referred to Kriangsak's statement in Manila that there could be no security in South East Asia so long as there was fighting in any part of Indo-China. He said that the good offices of a mediator were needed and that the UN had been considered. But UN action required a formal notification to the Security Council and they would prefer an initiative at a lower level.
Lord Elton
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