SIAM IS PLEASANT TO LIVE IN

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 395, 17 January 1947, Page 10

SIAM IS PLEASANT TO LIVE IN

ARTLY on a successful search for a holiday and partly on a not successful search for textiles suitable for tropical wear, Charles Letts, an Englishman from Siam, has just spent two and ahalf months in New Zealand. Before he left by air far Sydney last month he recorded a talk at 1YA and I met him there and listened while the talk was played back. He began by saying that he had worked in Siam for several years before the war, that he had worked there during the war years as a member of a prisoner-of-war gang on the Burma-Siam death railway, and that he had stayed for a year after he was released in August, 1945, by Allied forces. "What were you doing during that year end why did you choose New Zealand for a holiday?" I asked him. "The first six months after the end ofthe war I spent in headquarters staff with the allied occupation forces — [ went into the war in the Volunteers as a private, but they gave me a commission to help and after that I spent six months helping to re-establish the Legation." "Because you ‘onde Siamese?" "Yes, partly. Not a great many speak the language end very few speak it fluently. I can tell you I can find myself in difficulties-I’m quite aware I ‘have -my leg puiled sometimes." "And then why New Zealand?" Siam Needs Our Milk Products "First, it’s very easy to get at. Second, ‘there were the good mountains and glaciers and lakes and fishing and so on that attracted me. And of course I was particularly interested in building myself up-not that I had a very bad time under the occupation except that I had malaraa 46 times. But still New Zealand is pretty attractive, you know, in spite of the odds and ends of rationing you have.

And in addition to all those reasons I had a semi-official one of wanting to find goods to supply our markets in Siamlight textiles in particular, with an eye on milk products as a side line. Unfortunately there’s nothing doing because you've no textiles to export but wooland of course that’s far too heavy for that climate. But I do hope you'll start sending milk products when your commitments allow it." Mr. Letts is now on his way back to Bangkok to continue working with his firm, which deals with tin and general imports. When I asked him how he came to be in Siam in the first place he told me the abbreviated story of his life: left school and rolled round Europe, read economics at London University, but gave it up, worked on the docks and worked at selling things and roamed about Europe in between times; and finally decided it was time he settled down, so took a job with his present firm and worked first in Singapore and ‘hen in Bangkok. He describes Siam as ® wonderful place in which to live, as cosmopolitan as Shanghai, but without the "social nonsense" of Singapore. And he adds that each nationality in the European community in Bangkok is effectively kept in its place by the combined others and the whole community acts in the manner of a guest-of the Siamese. This, says Mr. Letts, makes Siam a so much more pleasant place to live in than it would be if one European nationality held eminence at the expense of the others. "The King is sincerely and deeply loved by his people, but he has now become _ practically a constitutional monarch instead of the all-powerful head of the State that he used to be, say a hundred years ago. Of course the hill people, all the politically illiterate people of the back-country, still regard him as their ultimate leader and probably still think that appeals to the head men of the villages go eventually to the King in person. Political propaganda hasn’t

spread very far, although just before the war radio was going ahead like nobody’s business-for instance, radio sets were supplied to the headman of each family group and there were some quite clever talks put over when efforts were being made to take some of the French Indo-China border States-efforts which were nicely helped along by the Japanese." Kindness to All Creatures "But you say the Siamese ‘didn’t help the Japanese much." "No, it was all very limp and halfhearted. The Siamese are inspired by their Buddhist creed of kindness to all creatures; for instance, they succoured and helped us when we were working as prisoners of the Japanese, and now they are just as full of pity and as ready to help Japanese prisoners. But the resistance movement, trained and organised by British officers parachuted into Siam, was very effective. The Empire troops, by the way, have been very popular in Siam since the end of the war. The recently held a farewell party and invited 800 Siamese guests, but 1,600 turned up."

"You say that the population of 14 million includes at least two million Chinese and that immigrants are coming in from China all the time. Are they still coming?" "Goodness me, yes. Say a ship has a quota of 250 Chinese immigrants, you can be sure it will limp in with at least 600. They are just pouring in and will keep on doing so." "Because the living is so much easier?" One Suit of Clothes "Partly that and partly the presence there already of members of their families. You have to remember that they are poor, the coolie class as a whole. They’ve really got nothing to wear-the woman goes: out to work in the family clothes and the old man shivers at home; she comes home and hands over the clothes to him and he goes (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) out and does his bit. But on the other hand you throw down a handful of seed and then you gather your fruit." "You say the woman goes out to work. Does this mean that the whole family goes out to work?" "Yes. It’s the same old story-man-power and womanpower are cheap and easily available. There’s practically no mechanisation-some British and American firms have tried to introduce harvesting. machines and so on, but it’s quite hopeless. Nobody knows how, nobody wants to know how. The same with animal power: you’d never make dairying work there because you’d never induce the Siamese to learn anything abéut animal husbandry. The few animals there are all wily old beasts who know how) to hang on to life and no more; to carry beef or give milk is utterly beyond them." "Well, what about education in general?" The Woman is Boss "There’s still a lot of illiteracy and the only two universities are just glorified high schools. You do have your eccasional brilliant scholar who goes to Oxford and so on. But on the whole the standard is not high. But the women are fully emancipated and are on the whole more able and energetic than the men. The old man may walk in front in the street, of course, and make his old woman tail along behind-but that’s nothing, the tables are turned the minute they get indoors. The woman is boss for all practical purposes. Now don’t begin to tell me. that that’s the same the world over! No> It just happens that in Siam the men are lazy and lethargic and the women are energetic and manag-ing-and the days of the harem are well over." It was inevitable that the film Anna and the King of Siam should be mentioned. Mr. Letts grew heated in his recital of the mistakes made in it: but he gave the film full credit for its treatment of Siam’s magnificent temples, pagodas and stupas. "There are magnificent sights to be seen there," he said. "Once you have seen the temples at sunset or sunrise with their extraordinary shapes and their gleaming golden and red and green roofs you will certainly never forget them." But Mr. Letts would not.say goodbye on a note of praise "for Siam’s scenery. He was anxious to press his hopes for an exchange of trade and an exchange of tourists -and even Rugby football teams. "Siam wants your milk products and Siam could very happily use your universities for some young students; the Siamese have several things in common with New Zealanders and I hope the time will come when the two people

‘come to know each other.¢

J.