The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXXII, Part 1-2, 1984 - Khamkoo

THE 1902 SIAMESE-KELANTAN T.REATY 129
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The Siamese-Kelantan Treaty was eventually put into force fully m July 1903
when both Graham and Thomson were sent to Kelantan as the Siamese Adviser and
Assistant Adviser to the Raja of that State, and after the tussle between Siam and Great
Britain over the correct procedure for the signing of the Treaty as well as over which
of the copies that had been signed by the Sultan was the original copy of the Treaty. 103
As far as the Treaty tussle was concerned, the Siamese took the matter in their hand
and sent a commissioner in a Siamese gun-boat to Kelantan, requesting the Sultan to
affix his seal on both the Siamese and Malay copies.! 04 The Treaty brought to an end
the traditional relations between Siam and Kelantan, which had depended in the main
on accepted customs and circumstances, and re-arranged their superior-inferior relationship
on the Western legalistic framework of protection and adviser system. The main
differences between the tradi tioilal and modern system lie in the rigidity ·of the new as
opposed to the vague, flexible and loose ties Of the old system. By the terms of the
Treaty the rights and authority of Siam were clearly defined. Bangkok in principle
was prevented from directly exerting its authority and had to depend on the Adviser to
supervise and administer the State on its behalf. Since the Adviser was of British
nationality, it was expected that Great Britain could subtly but effectively increase her
influence over Kelantan at the expense of Siam. As a matter of fact, this did not
happen, as W.A. Graham administered Kelantan more for the benefit of that State and
accorded little special treatment to British nationals. I os Graham's objectives appeared
more to be to prove his own ability as an administrator to meet all the challenges in his
task to improve the socio-economic conditions in Kelantan than to champion the
interests of either Britain or Siam.l 06
If Siam had indirectly lost much of her prestige m Kelantan by the 1902
Agreement, she was not the lone loser. Kelantan became the real victim, with her
freedom of action particularly in internal affairs curtailed and supervised under the
103. FO 422/57 Paget to Lansdowne, December 1, 1902, and December 3, 1902, (confidential);
and R. 5 M 62/90-101, Damrong to Sukhum, November 27, R.S. 121 (1902).
104. FO 422/57 Devawongse to Paget, December 7, 1902; and December 9, 1902; R. 5 M 62/90-
101, Suhkum to Damrong, December 7, R.S. 121 (1902), NAT.
105. Thamsook op. cit. p. 109; 195. His attitude was fully supported by Prince Damrong, the
Minister of Interior, who threatened to resign himself if Graham lost his job because
of his unbiased stand. Swettenham, on the other hand, became disenchanted with Graham so
much so that he made a trip to Kelantan in October 1903 to petsuade the Raja to accept
British protection but to no avail. Prince Devawongse was accurate in. his assessment of
the Kelantan Ruler that, "if he was really given a chance to choose,. he would choose no one
as he wanted no adviser."
l96. R. 5 M 6 2 flq-l23~ GralJarn · ~ Reports 9!1 Kel~ntan! 1904 1
1905, NAT, .