HC Deb 16 April 1907 vol 172 c764
SIR HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the King of Siam has recently ceded to France the three fertile and populous provinces of Battengbang, Siem-Reap, and Sisophon; and, if so, what compensation Siam obtained, and if he can state what effect, if any, the transaction will have on British interests in the Far East.

SIR EDWARD GREY

I must ask the hon. Member to wait till the terms of the treaty are made public before I can answer questions about it.

SIR HOWARD VINCENT

Is it a fact there has been a treaty?

SIR EDWARD GREY

Yes, there has been a treaty between France and Siam, but I must wait for the parties concerned to make it public before I can say anything on it.

SIR HOWARD VINCENT

But how about our interests in Siam?

SIR EDWARD GREY

I may refer the hon. and gallant Member to the Agreement of 1904, between the late Government and France, which clearly defined the interests of the two countries in Siam.

SIR HOWARD VINCENT

Is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied with this new treaty?

[No Answer was returned].