Memorial for late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh opened in Nakorn Panom

[Merylhighground]

Considering the Thai's had three wars against the Vietnamese in recent history - Franco Thai war 1940, 1960's 40,000 Thai troops in Vietnam fighting and killing Vietnamese loyal to Ho chi Minh and the 1972 Thai Vietnamese war. It's a bit odd. Then there was the Pak Mai and the communist insurgency in Thailand backed by China and Vietnam in the 1980's. Maybe they forgot?

Good well-informed posting.

It is indeed odd and maybe a definite symptom of 'selective' history'.

It is worth noting that that region of Thailand was a veritable 'hotbed' of communism during the 60s/70s which used to attract all manner of high profile Communist 'refugees' from not only Thailand but other states in SE Asia too, to the extent that the Thai Government would ship in busloads of its thugs unpaid officials (mainly the disturbingly monikered 'Boy Scouts') to 'monitor' possible threats to national security; the murder on the outskirts of Sakhon Nakhorn of Jit Phumisak being a high profile case of the then Government's (US backed? - open to debate) unofficial guerilla/vigilante operations against the Communist influence spreading in the 'Buffer State' during this period of History.

Still, ''Uncle Ho'' did well for an alleged former Bus Boy under Escoffier at the Carlton Hotel in London....

[Prbkk]

Uncle Ho's struggle may have been valiant and his cause legitimate. That legitimacy did not justify the mass executions, the victimisation of the innocent, the reign of terror perpetrated by his successors an undertaken in his name.

At the end of WW 2 if the U S had listened to Ho and not let the French army back in Vietnam ,the country would have been very successful in Asia and the wars that caused the lives on hundreds of thousands (proberly) would not have happened.Why the League of Nations were kissing the French ass then knowing their terrible reputation of dictatorship in Indochina I would not know..

I don't think there was any great enthusiasm in Washington for the French position after the war, just as there wasn't for the Dutch in Indonesia. The US ignored repeated French requests for support and took a reasonably neutral view of it ( or at least non-intervention). It was only at the height of the Cold War and increasing paranoia about China that VN got any attention ( and the consequent tragic ...for everyone..'.boots on the ground' involvement).

[Scotwight]

Uncle Ho's struggle may have been valiant and his cause legitimate. That legitimacy did not justify the mass executions, the victimisation of the innocent, the reign of terror perpetrated by his successors an undertaken in his name.

At the end of WW 2 if the U S had listened to Ho and not let the French army back in Vietnam ,the country would have been very successful in Asia and the wars that caused the lives on hundreds of thousands (proberly) would not have happened.Why the League of Nations were kissing the French ass then knowing their terrible reputation of dictatorship in Indochina I would not know..

That's hilarious. The British let the French out of jail in Saigon starting a reign of terror not the Yanks.

22 Sep 1945

In South Vietnam, 1400 French soldiers released by the British from former Japanese internment camps enter Saigon and go on a deadly rampage, attacking Viet Minh and killing innocent civilians including children, aided by French civilians who joined the rampage. An estimated 20,000 French civilians live in Saigon .

http://www.ichiban1.org/html/history/bc_1964_prewar/first_indochina_war_1945_1954.htm

Edited May 20, 2016 by Scotwight

[Prbkk]

Uncle Ho's struggle may have been valiant and his cause legitimate. That legitimacy did not justify the mass executions, the victimisation of the innocent, the reign of terror perpetrated by his successors an undertaken in his name.

At the end of WW 2 if the U S had listened to Ho and not let the French army back in Vietnam ,the country would have been very successful in Asia and the wars that caused the lives on hundreds of thousands (proberly) would not have happened.Why the League of Nations were kissing the French ass then knowing their terrible reputation of dictatorship in Indochina I would not know..

That's hilarious. The British let the French out of jail in Saigon starting a reign of terror not the Yanks.

22 Sep 1945

In South Vietnam, 1400 French soldiers released by the British from former Japanese internment camps enter Saigon and go on a deadly rampage, attacking Viet Minh and killing innocent civilians including children, aided by French civilians who joined the rampage. An estimated 20,000 French civilians live in Saigon .

http://www.ichiban1.org/html/history/bc_1964_prewar/first_indochina_war_1945_1954.htm

Just as there was active British support for the Dutch as they tried to resume authority in Indonesia, including the utterly scandalous, murderous attack on Surabaya ( but that's off topic).

[Snig27]

Uncle Ho's struggle may have been valiant and his cause legitimate. That legitimacy did not justify the mass executions, the victimisation of the innocent, the reign of terror perpetrated by his successors an undertaken in his name.

At the end of WW 2 if the U S had listened to Ho and not let the French army back in Vietnam ,the country would have been very successful in Asia and the wars that caused the lives on hundreds of thousands (proberly) would not have happened.Why the League of Nations were kissing the French ass then knowing their terrible reputation of dictatorship in Indochina I would not know..

I don't think there was any great enthusiasm in Washington for the French position after the war, just as there wasn't for the Dutch in Indonesia. The US ignored repeated French requests for support and took a reasonably neutral view of it ( or at least non-intervention). It was only at the height of the Cold War and increasing paranoia about China that VN got any attention ( and the consequent tragic ...for everyone..'.boots on the ground' involvement).

Absolutely true but the lack of enthusiasm was shortlived – there was almost an immediate u-turn and, despite the recommendations of US specialists on the ground with Ho, the US refused any support. The Vietnamese declaration of independence was even based on the US example but it mattered not. From 1947 onwards the US was funding the French military in Vietnam almost in its entirety. By 1951 or so, the French were using totally US supplied equipment and increasingly subservient to the CIA and US 'advisors'.

Truman's post-war commie paranoia was extreme, ramped up by a military dominated by the likes of Le May and hardliners like Dean Acheson. The difference between Indo and Vietnam was two words: China and Communism. Indonesia was a war of independence that was seen as anti-colonial, whereas the rightwingers in Truman's cabinet and the US military saw only reds. Lest we forget that Curtis Le May pushed hard to nuke the Viet Minh at Dien Bien Phu, and it was only horrified Eisenhower (no dove himself) that would have no part of it.

[sanukjim]

Uncle Ho's struggle may have been valiant and his cause legitimate. That legitimacy did not justify the mass executions, the victimisation of the innocent, the reign of terror perpetrated by his successors an undertaken in his name.

At the end of WW 2 if the U S had listened to Ho and not let the French army back in Vietnam ,the country would have been very successful in Asia and the wars that caused the lives on hundreds of thousands (proberly) would not have happened.Why the League of Nations were kissing the French ass then knowing their terrible reputation of dictatorship in Indochina I would not know..

I don't think there was any great enthusiasm in Washington for the French position after the war, just as there wasn't for the Dutch in Indonesia. The US ignored repeated French requests for support and took a reasonably neutral view of it ( or at least non-intervention). It was only at the height of the Cold War and increasing paranoia about China that VN got any attention ( and the consequent tragic ...for everyone..'.boots on the ground' involvement).

You are wrong about The US ignoring the French in their struggles against the Vietminh in the 1950s.A fore runner of Air America (CIA's air wing) was supplying air drops through out Vietnam.The Americans had heavy losses during The Battle of Dien Bin Phu. Of course officially "they were not there"

[Scotwight]

You are wrong about The US ignoring the French in their struggles against the Vietminh in the 1950s.A fore runner of Air America (CIA's air wing) was supplying air drops through out Vietnam.The Americans had heavy losses during The Battle of Dien Bin Phu. Of course officially "they were not there"

Shakes head and looks up at sky.

Two of the American pilots, James McGovern, Jr. and Wallace Buford, were killed in action during the siege of Điện Biên Phủ. On 25 February 2005, the seven still living American pilots were awarded the French Legion of Honor by Jean-David Levitte, the French ambassador to the United States. The role that the American pilots played in this battle had remained little known until 2004.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu#American_participation

Edited May 21, 2016 by Scotwight

[Briggsy]

Considering the Thai's had three wars against the Vietnamese in recent history - Franco Thai war 1940, 1960's 40,000 Thai troops in Vietnam fighting and killing Vietnamese loyal to Ho chi Minh and the 1972 Thai Vietnamese war. It's a bit odd. Then there was the Pak Mai and the communist insurgency in Thailand backed by China and Vietnam in the 1980's. Maybe they forgot?

I agree with you. See my post #23.

[LannaGuy]

Uncle Ho was the perfect symbol of valiant who prevail over the strong.

Today Vietnam is the small free and independent for having resist to his invaders:

- Japanese

- Chinese

- French

- US like always...

Well done Thailand in order to sublimate this model.

and turned into a wonderful democracy... oh wait...

[NCC1701A]

Communist scum. Horrible for Thais to have this garbage in their country.

Edited May 21, 2016 by NCC1701A

[erobando]

Uncle Ho was the perfect symbol of valiant who prevail over the strong.

Today Vietnam is the small free and independent for having resist to his invaders:

- Japanese

- Chinese

- French

- US like always...

Well done Thailand in order to sublimate this model.

and turned into a wonderful democracy... oh wait...

Well, how many "wonderful democracies" do we have in SE Asia?

Anyhow, about comments related to why has Thailand forgotten abouut past regional power struggles... why shouldn't they? They're irrelevant now since the ASEAN nations realized that it's better to cooperate economically than to fight endless stupid wars.

It's no different than asking why would France and Germany (and multiple other European nations) get along now after fighting each other for centuries.

[manfredtillmann]

Uncle Ho was the perfect symbol of valiant who prevail over the strong.

Today Vietnam is the small free and independent for having resist to his invaders:

- Japanese

- Chinese

- French

- US like always...

Well done Thailand in order to sublimate this model.

and turned into a wonderful democracy... oh wait...

democracy is nothing but an illusion. a smoke screen to make the people believe they are actually controlling their own destiny.

if such a thing as true democracy existed it would block all unpopular decision making of government.

[Kiwiken]

Uncle Ho was the perfect symbol of valiant who prevail over the strong.

Today Vietnam is the small free and independent for having resist to his invaders:

- Japanese

- Chinese

- French

- US like always...

Well done Thailand in order to sublimate this model.

and turned into a wonderful democracy... oh wait...

democracy is nothing but an illusion. a smoke screen to make the people believe they are actually controlling their own destiny.

if such a thing as true democracy existed it would block all unpopular decision making of government.

Yes the great illusion of Democracy. In the US the rich oligarchs buy the Presidency and appoint their chronies. In the UK the same parasitic Lords and their snot gobbling minions rule be it Labour or Tories, In so called Democratic Countries as NZ and Australia we are just puppets of the wealthy. Name a true democracy. That is Government of the people by the people. Rich pressure groups have hijacked the idea of Democracy in order to grow their "Capital". The call is for a 3rd way awat from Capitalism and Dogmatic Communisim (Dictatorship) . That 3rd way will be true Democracy or we will fall back in to feudalism as Thailand has now.