Since the Mediation Conference for the settlement of the Thai-French Indo-China border dispute was opened in Tokyo with its first formal session held on February 7, three informal meetings have been held besides daily individual conversations in which the Mediators have steadily exercised their good offices to bring about an agreement of views of the two countries concerned. As the result of these endeavours it became clear that an agreement could in all probability be reached. The Mediators, therefore, presented a plan of mediation at the fourth informal meeting, held on the 24th of the same month, following which they have continued to persuade the two parties concerned to accept that plan. The Governments of France and Thailand have accepted it with some modifications and have initialled the terms of mediation at 4 : 00 o'clock this afternoon (March 11).
The essential points of the mediation terms are as follows :
1. France cedes to Thailand the district of Paklay, which
is mentioned in Article II of the Convention between France and Siam of February 13, 1904, and the region lying to the north of the boundary line between the Provinces of Battambang and Pursat and the region lying on the right bank of the Mekong River bounded in south by the line running northward along the Longitude from the point touching Grand Lac and the southernmost end of the boundary line between the Provinces of Siem Reap and Battambang to the crossing point of that Longitude and the line of the 15th degree G of the Latitude and then eastward along that line of the Latitude to the Mekong River. However, a small area lying opposite to Stung Treng is reserved to French Indo-China.
2. All of the above-mentioned ceded territories are to be made demilitarized zones, and French nationals and the people of French Indo-China are to enjoy an absolutely equal treatment with nationals of Thailand throughout these areas with respect to entry, domicile and occupations and their pursuit.
3. The Government of Thailand will respect the mausolea of the Luang Prabang Royal House situated in the triangular zone lying opposite to Luang Prabang, and afford facilities for its preservation and worship, etc.
4. The Mekong frontier will be fixed in accordance with the principle of the deep water channel, but the two islands, namely, Khong and Khone, will, under the sovereignty of Thailand, be jointly administered by France and Thailand, and the existing French establishments on the islands shall belong to France.
In signing the above-mentioned terms of mediation, letters were exchanged between Japan and France and between Japan and Thailand which have clarified to the effect that Japan guarantees the definitive nature of the settlement of the dispute by the aforementioned terms of mediation and that agreements will subsequently be made with respect to the maintenance of peace in Greater East Asia and the establishment and promotion of the specially closer relations between Japan and Thailand and between Japan and French Indo-China.
The friendly and peaceful relations between France and Thailand will thereby be restored and the bond of friendship that binds Japan, France and Thailand will further be strengthened.
[Page 418 was transcribed with GPT (Codex CLI), not Claude.]