Semi-Colonialism Distilled: The Société française des distilleries de l’Indochine and the Siamese Government in the Early Twentieth Century

In the early twentieth century, the Société française des distilleries de l’Indochine, principal supplier to the alcohol monopoly in French Indochina, sought to extend its operations into Siam. This led to a protracted dispute with the Siamese government over the rights that the company enjoyed under the unequal treaties that Siam had signed with the Western imperial powers in the mid-nineteenth century. After sustained pressure from the French government, the Siamese government was forced to resolve some legal ambiguities in favour of the SFDIC. This dispute thus captures the essence of Siam’s semi-colonial relationship with the West.