BingTheWing

Precipice of War - The Big Leagues of NRP (Only generous tippers need apply)

First post up. It's not that great, but at least the ball is rolling. Please tell me if there are any continuity errors I need to correct.

Precipice of War - The Big Leagues of NRP (Only generous tippers need apply)

June 4th, 1960

Krung Thep, People's Republic of Thailand

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It was not a usual custom of Grand Premier Thornthep Radchawat to attend Buddhist ceremonies, let alone funerals. He had eschewed religion at age fifteen, and his beliefs were validated by his fellow Khana Rhatsadon at age eighteen. He saw no use in contemplating the afterlife when a man could do good in his lifetime now. However, it was the dying wish of his dear beloved aunt that she be honored with such formalities, and somehow he found comfort in the dulling chants of the fervent monk, and in the lilting scent of the incense that permeated the room.

They drove back to the Revolutionary Palace in a thoughtful silence. Radchawat’s wife, who was a dear friend of his aunt, laid her head on his shoulder and grasped his arms tightly with white satin gloves. For a while, Radchawat contemplated his brief memories with his aunt, but by the time the driver pulled up to the gates of the Palace had already taken on a much more different state of mind.

An eager young soldier ran up to the couple, dressed in a drab olive uniform and with a submachine gun swinging from his hips.

“Grand Premier!”

“Please, comrade.” Radchawat slowly looked up. “Can’t you see we are mourning?”

The young man gulped and adjusted his red-badged collar.

“Premier, the Minister of War wishes to see you.”

Radchawat met Minister of War Thanee Souvanatong at his private office. The hulking wall of a man was clad with a multitude of medals such that made his chest indistinguishable from a Christmas tree, all earned from the 1921 revolution and the 1949 Cambodian War. He was upright and red-faced as always, his greying mustache sprinkled with cigarette ash.

“Premier, it is time we talked.”

“So it is.” Radchawat leant back on his tall leather chair and crossed his arms.

“Lady Trung has been betrayed by imperialists.”

“So she has.”

“This is not new news, Premier.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Premier, do you understand the gravity of the situation?!” Souvanatong slammed Radchawat’s desk, blood rushing to his head and staining his mottled cheeks. “If we allow this to continue, we will have a capitalist Vietnam for a neighbor!”

“That is what we said eleven years ago, when we invaded Cambodia.”

“Cambodia was a success!”

“Do you call the loss of eight hundred soldiers, two thousand Cambodian civilians, and millions of baht a success? Thailand is weary of war, Minister. Our people must rest, and our nation must take a different path now.”

Radchawat tilted his head. “Or would you have us tread the path of our colonizers before?”

“Premier, premier…” Souvanatong huffed and blustered, inflating his cheeks to a fiery crimson. “You don’t understand how easy this war will be. China, owner of one of the greatest armies in the world, supplies our arms. The Philippines is already a major player in the game. Iron and chromium deals are mere days away!”

But then in a sudden and stunning show of humility, the Minister stood up straight, pressed his palms together and bowed deeply. Radchawat raised a brow - it was unusual for this blustering mountain of a man, and a devoted communist at that, to make the traditional wai.

“Premier, please let me send a delegation to Hanoi.”

Radchawat sighed.

“Yes, you may.” He shrugged. “Though there has not yet been an official decision, I sense the intentions of the People’s Congress. There is nothing I can do about it.”

Radchawat finally stood up, a dusty creak emanating from underneath his seat. “Don’t seek sea passage, you will either be shot at by Sulu pirates or the French. Take a plane, and travel northwards first - I don't think we need to intrude onto Laotian airspace."

The Premier bowed deeply, returning the wai. “Thank you, Thanee.”

“Thank you, Premier.”

As Minister Souvanatong turned to exit, Thanee called out to him. “Minister?”

“Yes, Premier?”

“You get Thailand concessions, or you get that delegation home.”

Precipice of War - The Big Leagues of NRP (Only generous tippers need apply)

I think one of the GMs needs to take the role of the UK; people are scared of the commitment lmao

Knowing the truth. Horror/Fantasy

Hm!

Precipice of War - The Big Leagues of NRP (Only generous tippers need apply)

@Letter Bee Probably iron, as Thailand desires more war materials. Unless chromium has any military applications.

The alliance will almost certainly be agreed to, but whether it will be kept is another story altogether.

Some ideas - looking for small group or 1x1 mid-advanced writing/plot etc.

Interested in #2 or #3.

Prompts, Ideas, and Interests

@OliveYou Interested in the time travel idea.

Precipice of War - The Big Leagues of NRP (Only generous tippers need apply)

I adjusted the timeline so that the People's Republic was founded in 1921. I will be getting up a first IC post soon.

People's Republic of Thailand

Name

People's Republic of Thailand

Territory



_{Image courtesy of @Shyri}

Head of State
Grand Premier Thornthep Radchawat

History

The Kingdom of Siam joined the First World War in 1914 as a nominal member of the Allies, initially to gain favor with Britain and France. In response to numerous pleas by the British and French, King Rama VI formed the Siamese Expeditionary Forces, which at first was a single 1,300-strong motor and medical division, but as the war dragged on became a 20,000-strong infantry unit that saw numerous action in offensives into the German and Ottoman Empires. The Royal Siamese Navy also assaulted military installations in German New Guinea, and by May 1921 had almost reclaimed the entire archipelago. The early 1920s were a period of grand military action for Siam, but were also times of civil unrest and anti-Westernization.

King Rama VI, a Western-educated eager young man, was constantly under fire by pro-German elites, pacifist Buddhist groups, and of course, the section of the general populace whose sons were being sent off to die in a place ten thousand miles away from home. Anti-war sentiments increased when towards the late 1910s, the Germans intensified naval warfare in the Pacific. By this time, about 2,300 Siamese had died in the European and Ottoman Fronts, and the promise of reparations by the Allies were becoming a distant memory. All of this was accentuated by the economic recession caused by Central Power navies limiting trade to the Allied European nations. In 1917, Khana Ratsadon, a left-wing revolutionary group, was founded by university students in Bangkok whose main goal was to pull Siam out of its useless war, wrest power from the Westernized elites, and bring it back to the Siamese people through democracy. By 1918, the movement was already organizing large rallies and protests all across Siam.

In late 1919, protests became heated when Royal Siamese Army soldiers fired on protesters outside the royal palace, injuring 13 and killing 3. The three dead protesters, all of them students, became martyrs and figureheads for the revolution. Armed insurrection unofficially began in 1925 in some northern provinces, and back in Europe, members of the Expeditionary Forces were already joining their European comrades in desertion. On December 23 1919, members of the Khana Ratsadon armed with stolen Army rifles attempted to storm the Royal Palace, but were (barely) beaten back by the royal guard with 18 dead.

In February 1921, another coup was launched in the capital and was overwhelmingly successful, with even the royal guards aiding in the attack. The royal family, anticipating this, boarded a private ship for France, and were granted asylum there. The new People’s Republic of Thailand’s first order of the day was, of course, to withdraw all of its troops from the Great War. This was heavily opposed by the Allies, and incidents even occured where French soldiers threatened to fire upon Thai soldiers boarding departing ships, but the new people’s government was adamant in their goals - not a single Thailander would remain in Europe by Easter. By April 1921, this wish was granted.

The People’s Republic quickly set about arresting and detaining members of the ‘elite’ who had supported the war, were ‘cronies’ of the royal family, or had stolen from the Thai people - a practice that still continues somewhat today. In a new constitution, Khana Ratsadon would be the only political party, but elections would be held every four years. The legitimacy of these elections, however, has varied from time to time. As the 20th century marched onward, Thailand set upon establishing trade partnerships with other socialist nations in Southeast Asia and around the globe, and by 1952 had become a formidable economic power in the region. However, the European powers were slow to acknowledge the new Thailand’s very existence, and to this day are still reluctant to even open embassies in the country. The country’s human rights record is sketchy at best, and Western journalists are frequently imprisoned and/or deported. In 1941, under the pretense of foreign saboteurs, Thailand invaded and annexed a European-backed Cambodia, much to the outrage of the global community and causing a slight dip in the economy. In 1960, it frequently skirmishes with Laos over border disputes, has earned the ire of the British Empire over its holdings in Burma and Malaysia, and is known as one of the most belligerent nations in Southeast Asia.

Precipice of War - The Big Leagues of NRP (Only generous tippers need apply)

@Letter Bee Right, when exactly did the fighting start? My first IC post will probably be about sending off an envoy to Hanoi about this.

Precipice of War - The Big Leagues of NRP (Only generous tippers need apply)

@Letter Bee Due to their acquisition of Cambodia, southern Thailand directly borders the French Remnant's territory. Perhaps they could strike a deal with the Philippine-Vietnamese coalition about concessions in return for military aid?