War Claims and Compensation: Franco-Vietnamese Contention over Japanese War Reparations and the Vietnam War

Japanese Troops enter Saigon September 1940

Time Magazine Cover of Ngo Dinh Diem

Emperor Bao Dai

Geoffrey Gunn
The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus

This article seeks to disentangle the complex claims and counterclaims to Japanese war reparations deriving from the period of Japanese rule in Vietnam in the years 1940-45.

It demonstrates that, alongside Cambodia, Vietnam stands out among the beneficiaries of Japanese war reparations for the huge gap in expectations over compensation issues. Not only was the Tokyo government challenged internationally by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) as the sole legal claimant upon these reparation funds against both the Republic of Vietnam (SRV) and France, it was also challenged domestically by Japan’s major left-wing opposition parties. The issues were complicated by the fact that the major Japanese reparations-aid project, a hydro dam, was crippled by the DRV's southern arm, the Viet Cong. But even prior to the French invention of the State of Vietnam in 1949, France made claims upon Japan for war damages and reparations, as well as for unpaid loans and debts. The multi-sided diplomatic contest also engaged Washington and not all issues were resolved by the San Francisco Conference in 1951 or the emergence in 1955 of the independent Republic of Vietnam. Although Emperor Bao Dai had been restored in 1949 by the French as head of a partly autonomous Associated State of Vietnam, in backing the Republic of Vietnam, the Americans turned to another figure who had served under the French, namely Jean Baptiste Ngo Dinh Diem.

Battle of Koh Chang: A superior Thai navy defeated by a small French flotilla

Dear Readers,

We are posting below the account of the battle of Koh Chang in which a small French flotilla inflicted major damages to the Thai navy on January 17, 1941. We are posting below an account of the battle posted on Wikipedia, as well as another account posted in French. We urge you to visit the English and French website sources to learn more about this battle and to see more photos.

Thank you,

KI-Media team

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Battle of Koh Chang

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Koh_Chang

The Battle of Koh Chang took place on January 17, 1941 during the French-Thai War and resulted in a decisive victory by the French over the Royal Thai Navy. During the battle a flotilla a French warships attacked a smaller force of Thai vessels, including a coastal battleship. In the end Thailand lost two ships sunk and one heavily damaged and grounded. Within a month of the engagement the Vichy French and Thailanders negotiated a peace which ended the war.

Background

Thai Navy

The Royal Thai Navy had been modernized with the recent acquisition of vessels from Japan and Italy. The major units of the fleet included two Japanese-built armoured coast defence vessels which displaced 2,500 tons and carried 8" guns, two older British built armoured gunboats with 6" guns, twelve torpedo boats and four submarines. In addition the Royal Thai Air Force had in its inventory over 140 aircraft, including relatively modern Mitsubishi Ki-30 light bombers, which saw extensive service against the French. These aircraft in themselves were quite capable of causing severe damage to any French naval mission which might be mounted. Other less capable aircraft in the Thai inventory included P-36 Hawk fighters, seventy Chance-Vought O2U-2 Corsair biplanes, six Martin B-10 bombers and several Avro 504 trainers.

French Navy

Despite the strengths of the Thai forces the French Governor General of Indochina and Commander-in-Chief Naval Forces, Admiral Jean Decoux, decided that the naval mission should go ahead. A small squadron, the Groupe Occasionnel, was formed on December 9, 1940 at Cam Ranh Bay, near Saigon, under the command of Capitaine de Vaisseau Régis Bérenger. The squadron consisted of the light cruiser Lamotte-Piquet, the avisos Dumont d'Urville and Amiral Charner, and the older avisos Tahure and Marne. There was no air cover to speak of, apart from eight Loire 130 seaplanes based at Ream which provided reconnaissance. Additional scouting was provided by three coastal survey craft, and intelligence gleaned from the local fishermen.

King Monivong died of sorrow over the loss of Khmer territories to Thailand, who will die of sorrow for the current losses of Khmer territories?

Translated from French by Tola Ek

History

1941. World War II. Japan was the greatest winner in “our” part of the world. Thailand was an ally of Japan. The latter, at the demand made by Thailand, exerted on the losing France (Vichy regime of Marshall Pétain) a terrible pressure to cede to Thailand the Cambodian provinces of Battambang-Banteay Meanchey, a large portion of the Cambodian provinces of Siemreap, Oddar Meanchey, Stung Treng-Rattanakiri, Pursat, Kampong Thom-Preah Vihear.

With the loss of such sacred Khmer territories, my maternal grandfather, H.M. King Sisowath Monivong, died of sorrow.

1947. With the help of the victorious France (that of General de Gaulle which was victorious over Hitler’s Germany and … Tojo’s Japan, during WWII), I (Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia) had the historical privilege to recover for my Homeland, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the provinces and portion of Cambodian provinces cited above which Thailand (defeated along with Japan, during WWII) had (was obliged to) to give back to us, to us (Cambodia, the Khmer Nation and People).

1962. I won the lawsuit (regarding Preah Vihear) at The Hague International Court of Justice, which ordered [Thailand] to return to the Kingdom of Cambodia: the Temple and the Preah Vihear mount – temple and mount which Thailand militarily and illegally annexed.

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk
March 2008