Gloom in the Land of Smiles

When embattled Cambodia began casting around for a savior, Thailand, the pro-Western "Land of Smiles," seemed ideally cast. The Thai government, a military regime with parliamentary trappings, had sent its 11,000-man Black Leopard Division to South Viet Nam on a similar mission. General Praphas Charusathien, the country's Vice Premier and army chief, was forever saying: "It is better to fight Communists outside Thailand than at home." Cambodia, whose border is just a three-hour drive from Bangkok, seemed a likely place.

Something happened to the Thais on the way to the rescue. In May, when Cambodia's Premier Lon Nol began broadcasting SOS signals, the Thais intimated that substantial help would soon be on the way. So far Bangkok has supplied Cambodia with only five T-28 fighter-bombers, medical supplies, boots and uniforms. On a remote island base, however, the Thais are now training a mixed group of 10,000 Thai and 2,000 Cambodian recruits, and there is talk that this division-size force could be combat-ready some time this month. Presumably, the troops could be lifted into action from a string of 20 or 30 helicopter pads that are now being built along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Despite these moves, Thailand has stopped far short of a major commitment of men and arms. One reason is the slow progress of secret negotiations on just how much the U.S. should pay for Thai aid to Cambodia.

Another reason is that the Thais, like other Asians, are deeply distressed about the prospect of an almost total U.S. stand-down in Asia. Reflecting that gloom, Thai Foreign Minister Thanat Khoman last week delivered a U.S.-baiting speech, charging that American policy is being warped by the "confusions and convulsions" of hippie and yippie culture. He added the blunt but perhaps not unreasonable observation that the U.S. "is exhibiting signs of derangement and systematic disorder."

The Thais, whose own economy is showing symptoms of disorder after a decade of prosperity, are troubled not only about how to finance aid to Cambodia, but also about the timing. Thanat and Praphas displayed a surprising lack of agreement on the question when they appeared at a conference in Bangkok last week. Citing the Communist threat, Praphas said: "We have to send troops into Cambodia." Thanat maintained that "Thailand will fight only when it is unavoidable."

Doubtful Doctrine. Such differences indicate that the Nixon Doctrine, calling for "Asian initiatives" in self-defense, may prove devilishly difficult to put into practice. Two years ago, Political Scientist Morton Halperin, a veteran of Clark Clifford's Defense Department, said: "A threat is important only if it is regarded as such by those in the region." As the Thai example shows, the countries of Southeast Asia are a long way from agreeing on the nature of the threat.

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