CAUSE OF STRIFE IN INDO-CHINA

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5306, 20 January 1947, Page 5

CAUSE OF STRIFE IN INDO-CHINA

^ JAP AND SOYTET PU'LL

SAI60N DOCTOR" GIVES HIS IMPRESSIONS

"Before the war, Indo-China was perhaps the most peaceful country in the world, and now, ravaged by years of Japanese occupation and Comm.unist-in-spired troubles in the north, it bids fair to become one of the least peaceful in this post-war world." This is the opinion of Df. Paul Pradal, a French physician from Saigon, who is spending a short holiday in Rotorua. Di\ Pradal, who has spent over 24 years of his lif'e in Indo-China, left Saigon during the middle of December, a few days after the Viet Nam rcvolt in the no-rth brolce out. Separated from Tongking, the province in which the present distui'bances are taking place, by over 1000 miles, news in Saigon of the troubles in the nortli was necessarily of a scant and rather disjointed nature, but the doctor was able to relate many of the factors which led up to the revc-lt. Indo-China, he explained, is split into five main provinces — Tongking in the north, Annam and Laof in the centre, Cochin China- and Cambodia in the south. Of these five, Tongking always has been and always will be the energetic and troubl-esome member of the Indo-Chinese family. Due, no doubt, to the fact that it I has been a fro-ntier State and has borne the brunt of past aggressions from the Chinese over the b order, Tongking has earned its reputation as a fighting province. Its people are hard-working and aggressive. Easy-Going SoutKerners i The other provinces do not share -these qualities, and althc-ugh- possibly the people of Annam, or at least a certain element among- them, closely approach them in temperament, the remainder are an easy-going folk, not too fond of hard work and entirely deaf to the call of the outer world. During- the war the Japanese, who occupied the whole of Indo-China, found that the Tongkinese offered the best material in the country to instil with their barbaric tenets. They carefully cultivated the Tongkinese and taught them that the French influence had sapped the will of their countrymen in the south and would eventuaily sap/- theirs, should the French- return to Indo-China. Thus were the seeds sown. Eventuaily the war was won and the country liberated. For a while, Indo-China was split into two sections or zones, the Americans administering the upper zone, which of course, included Tongking, and the British ruling the southern zone. During this militarv o-ccupation, there were few troubles and it was not Aintil the French administration again took over in July last year that the cunning of Japanese and Communist began to take effect. There were still many thousands of Japanese troops at large on and around the northern frontiers and these, with some of the more impressionable Tongkinese and some Chinese and Indo-Chinese Communists, formed the nucleus of the force now known as the Yiet Nam — the force which has pledged itself to rout the French from Indo-China.

Communist Organisation There can be no doubt that the Viet Nam, which poses as an autonomous State, similar to the so-called republic of Indonesia, is now almost solely administered by Communists. The Japanese, instead of controlling the movement, are being used as pawns — useful pawns whose main job is training the fighting forces of the Viet Nam. The force, which now numbers almost 10,000, is undoubtedly well equipppd ancl trained. Its armaraents include French, British, American and Russian, all smuggled across the northern border. The solution to the present invidious situation can only be reached by nego-tiation. Force on the part of the French, althougb necessary at

at the moment to subdue tbe terrorist activities of the Viet Nam, will j never prove the key to the problem, says Dr. Pradal. The whole future of Indo-China depends on co-o-peration between the five provinces, who are so entirely interdependent. Tongking, with a population of between 7,000,000 and 8,000,000, relies on food supplies from the south, while the southern provinces rely oddly enough on the e'nergy and industry of the Tongkinese to produce their food. Dr. Pradal estimated that there were several millions of Tongkinese roving throughout the whole of IndoChina, as they had done for many hun-dreds o-f years. Where previously they had worlced in the paddy fields of Laof, Annam and Cochin China, they now merely helped themselves to that which they required.

Viet Nam Leader Impossible "Unfortunately, or fortunately, as the case may be," said Dr. Pradal, ,"my wife and I left Saigon only a few days after the main troubles flared up. Our knowledge of tbe situation as it exists now, is really no greater than yours. We can, however, with our experience in the country, see that an entente is vitally necessary before the revolts c-ease. "It is auite clear that the troubles are Communist-inspired now — just as sre the troubles in China. The present leader of the Viet Nam, Mr. Hoehi Minh, received- his training in Moscow and has only recently returned from that city. His talks in Paris with French leaders have led to nothing, and one is extreiuely doubtful whether the French Colonial Minister's recent visit to Indo-China will bear the fruit- that it promised "To my mind, it seems impossible that anything can come f'rom tbe talks with Ilochi Minh, wh-o has

openly averred his policy o-f defeating the French and making IndoChina an autonomous State, presumably with himself as the head. The answer appears to be to find a Tongkinese leader who is prepared to negotiate with the French and meet them half-way. But at the moment, Mr. Hochi Minh is very well established.". Dr. Pradal and Madame Pradal 'are spending another ten days in Rotorua and will then continue on their Dc-minion'tour. They will'-re-turn to Indo-China in two or three months.