Thailand in World War II
In Thailand you see quite a few Nazi knick-knacks, sometimes even T-shirts with the image of Hitler on it. Many rightly criticize the lack of historical awareness of the Thai in general and about the WWII (Holocaust) in particular.
Some voices suggested that the lack of knowledge was due to the fact that Thailand itself was not involved in this war. That is a serious misconception.
What we know is that a "death railway" to Burma was built in Thailand by the Japanese, in which many prisoners of war died. Many visitors to Thailand have seen the bridge over the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi, visited the War Museum there and perhaps even visited one of the war cemeteries. In general, our knowledge of Thailand in the Second World War ends there. Certainly, the role of Thailand is not prominent in the war scene at the time, but as a visitor, enthusiast or resident of Thailand, you can improve your knowledge about Thailand during this period. Hence this short story.
Soldiers
In 1932, Thailand's form of government was changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. In the years that followed, a fierce political battle took place between conservative older and young progressive military and civilians. Important reforms were implemented, such as the abandonment of the Gold Standard, which led to the Baht following a free exchange rate; primary and secondary education were expanded; elections were held for local and provincial government. Direct elections to the National Assembly were held for the first time in 1937, although political parties were still not allowed. Military spending was increased to 30% of the national budget.
For a time, the younger factions, with Major General Plaek Pibul Songkram (Phibun) as Defense Minister and Pridi Banomyong as Foreign Minister, worked in unison until Phibun became Prime Minister in December 1938. Phibun was an admirer of Mussolini and his rule soon began to show fascist traits. Phibun started a campaign against Chinese, who dominated the Thai economy. A leader cult was propagated, in which Phibun's portrait was visible everywhere.
Siam
In 1939, Phibun changed the name of the country from Siam to Thailand (Prathet Thai), meaning "land of free people". This was just one step in a program of nationalism and modernization: from 1938 to 1942, Phibun issued 12 Cultural Mandates, requiring Thais to salute the flag, know the national anthem, and speak Thai (not Chinese, for example). The Thais also had to work hard, keep abreast of the news and wear Western clothing.
World War II broke out and after France was largely occupied in 1940, Phibun tried to avenge Siam's humiliations of 1893 and 1904, in which the French had taken the area of present-day Laos and Cambodia from Siam under threat of force. In 1941 this led to fighting with the French, in which the Thais had the upper hand on the ground and in the air, but suffered a heavy defeat at sea at Koh Chang. The Japanese then mediated, leading to the return of some disputed lands in Laos and Cambodia to Thailand.
This enhanced Phibun's prestige as a national leader to such an extent that he made himself field marshal, conveniently skipping the ranks of three- and four-star general.
Japanese troops
This Thai policy led to a deterioration of relations with the United States and Great Britain. In April 1941, the US cut off oil supplies to Thailand. On December 8, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese troops invaded Thailand along the southern coastline, with the authorization of the Phibun government, to invade Burma and Malacca. The Thais quickly capitulated. In January 1942, the Thai government formed an alliance with Japan and declared war on the Allies. However, the Thai ambassador, Seni Pramoj in Washington refused to issue the declaration of war. The United States has thus never declared war on Thailand.
Initially, Thailand was rewarded by cooperation with Japan and gained more territory that once belonged to the country, such as parts of the Shan states in Burma and the 4 northernmost Malay provinces. Japan now had a force of 150.000 on Thai territory. Soon the construction of the "death railway" to Burma started.
ShutterStockStudio / Shutterstock.com
Resistance
The Thai ambassador to the United States, Mr. Seni Pramoj, a conservative aristocrat whose anti-Japanese sentiments were all too well known, meanwhile, with the help of the Americans, organized the Free Thai Movement, a resistance movement. Thai students in the United States were trained by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in underground activities and were groomed to infiltrate Thailand. By the end of the war, the movement consisted of more than 50.000 Thais, who, armed by the Allies, resisted Japanese supremacy.
In the long run, the Japanese presence in Thailand was perceived as a nuisance. Trade came to a complete standstill and the Japanese increasingly treated Thailand more as an occupier than as an ally. Public opinion, especially the bourgeois political elite, turned against the policies of Phibun and the military. By 1944 it became clear that Japan was going to lose the war and in June of that year Phibun was deposed and replaced by a mainly civilian government (the first since 1932) led by liberal lawyer Khuang Abhaiwongse.
Surrender
After the Japanese surrender in Thailand on August 15, 1945, the Thais disarmed most of the Japanese soldiers before the British arrived to quickly free the POWs. The British considered Thailand a defeated enemy, but the United States had no sympathy for colonialist behavior and decided to support the new government, so that Thailand would get off well after its role in the war.
For the above story I have used Wikipedia and other websites. There is much more to read about Thailand in the Second World War, the Japanese occupation, the resistance movement and of course the horrors of the Japanese in the construction of the Burma railway.
If it is true that Thailand's role in World War II is not discussed in Thai teaching programs, then after reading this story you will know more about it than the average Thai.
Educational and clearly written. Rob
First of all, Thai education is dramatically bad: I have learned since 1993, their bachelor degree (HBO) more comparable to Havo-VWO with a dramatically poor choice of subjects.
In addition: what is already given to history is about the glorious parts of Thai history and especially not about the lesser pints. What happened outside of Prathet Thai… really nobody cares. The 2nd World War is therefore just as well known in Thailand as our activities in the Dutch East Indies under Colijn on Flores are known to the Dutch.
Dear Gringo, thank you for your article, very informative! Just like in NL, the history of WWII is still a source of innovative insights and sometimes new facts that emerge from archives. Certainly our own postcolonial history in Indonesia and New Guinea has still not been fully described and an open discussion is even avoided (NIOD did not receive permission from the government and no budget for an integral description of the period 1939-1949 in which the Netherlands was an increasingly often criticized role in Indonesia). It is also fascinating to dive deeper into Thai history during this period!
Good article. Please more!
Interesting article, so Thailand has actually been occupied by the Japanese, despite the fact that the declaration of war was never actually signed, the Thai always like to boast that Thailand has always been a free country, but actually that is not the case, if the so Americans had not dropped atomic bombs on Hroshima and Nagasaki, they would still have been oppressed, which is why the Americans still have bases in Thailand (including Khorat).
It was also the case that many Americans who fought in Vietnam and had a holiday went to Pattaya, plenty of booze and hot chicks, nice and close, back soon, so I understand from an American Vietnam veteran.
On my travels through Indonesia, I noticed that more old Dutch culture has lingered there, the old Dutch buildings, especially in Bandung on Java, a lot of old VOC money, a few old-knil soldiers, and older Indies men with names like Kristoffel and Lodewijk, who sometimes had an education paid for by the Netherlands and could therefore still speak Dutch quite well.
That generation told me that the Dutch occupier was not that bad compared to the current regime.
Although we Dutch people at that time still let a few heads roll and of course robbed that country empty, let that be clear, we apparently also did good things.
Pattaya did not exist at that time!
It was only during and after the Vietnam War and the arrival of the Americans (U-Tapoa) that everything changed drastically.
Sincerely,
Lodewijk
I don't know if Pattaya was actually called Pattaya, but there were already bars around the beach with nice ladies, my American friend told me.
he and many other vietnam vets have been there a few times for a few days during the war.
Like many war veterans, he doesn't like to talk about that time because of course those people saw terrible things.
@ Aart, I first came to Pattaya in the early 70s and then there were already 1 or 2 Go-Go bars and loose butterflies, so to speak. Dolf Riks had his tin restaurant on Beach Road where the bus to Bangkok was located, in front of the TAT office, also on Beach Road. The beach was almost empty and bright white. Sea water was clean and one could swim in the sea. There were some thatched roofs with benches on the beach where people could have a picnic. No lounger vendors or scooters in the sea. There was a ferry boat that went to the different islands. So Pattaya did exist, it was a fishing village, always has been.
I think that people often confuse “being occupied by…” and being a colony of…”.
As far as I know Thailand has been occupied many times in its history by…, but has never been a colony of…, but I could be wrong.
The Americans have no military bases in Thailand at all. After the fall of. Saigon has given the then PM the Americans 3 months to evacuate all their bases, and signed a mutual assistance treaty with China
NL looted the Dutch East Indies? Nonsense. Of course there is a lot of money there, mainly through the products that were produced on the tea, coffee, rubber and quinine plantations, but those plantations have been founded by the Dutch themselves and not taken from the natives. These plantations are now all owned by the State, insofar as they have not passed into private hands in the meantime. When the VOC appeared on Java, there were no roads or cities, but Java was covered by tropical jungle, including tigers and panthers. In fact there was nothing. Apart from a few small principalities, there was no authority or government. Now Java has 120 million inhabitants, then 10 (!) million! We should always see things in the context of the times.
The VOC (so the Netherlands) has become terribly rich through soil products from the former Dutch East Indies, later the BPM (now Shell) has become large due to the oil profit from here.
Your story is very romantically told.
What do you mean terribly rich, how did you get that information? Indeed, Royal Dutch originated there. Explain exactly how it works. Or provide some literature references.
“Indie lost disaster born” was thought in the first half of the 20th century, but we only became very rich after saying goodbye to Indie. (!)
For lovers of real history, read (among other things) “Beyond black and white thinking” Prof.Dr. PCbucket.
All I found of the Japanese occupation in Thailand were many corpses on the Burmese side of Burma railway.
The British, Americans and Dutch lie brotherly next to each other in beautifully maintained cemeteries, while the Thai corpses were simply dumped in a dug hole in the Jungle, if you poke a little stick into the soft ground in an open space, you will come sooner or later. leave bones, even now.
Are you sure Arthur?
Did a Thai tell you these were Thai? Or did you come to that conclusion yourself? As Gringo wrote, the historical knowledge of the Thai is very limited. Not many Thais were among the 200 native forced labourers, and they largely escaped the race.
Probably 90 thousand of these "Romusha", mainly Burmese, Malaysians and Javanese, died.
quote
“Thousands of Thais also worked on the track, especially during the first phase of construction in 1942. However, they worked on the least heavy section of the line, between Nong Pladuk and Kanchanaburi, the Thais proved difficult to manage. Because they were in their own country, they could easily go into hiding. Which they did en masse. Moreover, Thailand was not formally an occupied country, so the Japanese were limited by the need to negotiate, and so could not really coerce their Thai employees.”
Source:
http://hellfire-pass.commemoration.gov.au/the-workers/romusha-recruitment.php
I stayed with the Hmong tribe for a few weeks, about 10 years ago, they have a small settlement at one of the tributaries of the River Kwai, I then traveled a bit through the jungle on foot and by elephant just for the interesting flora and fauna, did have a local with me, I noticed that almost every time I came across a red anthill there were bones in the ground.
If yes, this is indeed from my own experience.
Are you sure this is a Hmong tribe and not a Mon tribe?
Usually the Hmong tribes are much further north.
But I can understand that bones can still be found everywhere.
These will undoubtedly be from Malays, Javanese and Burmese. They were not given a grave, but were often left behind for bulky waste.
Hello, I myself am very interested in what happened then, now I know a little more. The Thais don't seem to be aware of it themselves, or don't want to know about it! The bridge over the river Kwa would not have been possible without the help of Thais. As you can read, they did well.
I hope there will be a follow-up to your column on Thailand, as it is something I have always been interested in. I myself have written about the 2nd World War about what happened in the 18-day battle. We were victims ourselves and I was 8 years old when war was declared.
Very valuable and informative article Gringo thank you.
Nico B
Hello
Seen a black and white film (3-5 min) somewhere that the Americans bomb Bangkok.
No Thai knows this here?
To answer your question. I know many Thai people who know very well what happened.
The fact that they don't go all out with it will be correct, but there will also be things in the Netherlands, Belgium or other countries that people prefer not to talk about.
By the way, at the Asiatique - The Riverfront you can still visit a "bomb shelter" from that time.
(If I remember correctly, there is also one in the Bangkok Zoo and there is even a permanent exhibition about it).
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg6Bm0GAPws
About those bombings. Here's the video.
http://www.hieristhailand.nl/beelden-bombardement-op-bangkok/
Also some general info about the bombing of Bangkok
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Bangkok_in_World_War_II
Nakhon Sawan was also bombed, and there was a prisoner of war camp. My late wife witnessed this as a child. Her father, like the neighbors, had built an air raid shelter in the garden.
hello,
In January during my trip with the motobike, I drove the Mae Hong Son loop, in Khun Yuam, this is about 60 km south of Mae Hong Son, visited the Thai – Japan friendship memorial, this museum teaches you a lot about the relationships between these countries during WW2, well worth a little visit if you're in the area.
thanks to Sjon Hauser for the excellent directions
Greetings
Great article…The Thais are being confronted here with their “non acceptable” History of Thailand!
This also explains their very exaggerated natiolist attitude!
But what strikes me the most is that there is not a single comment from 2017 from this or that one!! Shame.
2015???……
An excellent story, Gringo. Only this quote:
The Thai Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Seni Pramoj, a conservative aristocrat whose anti-Japanese sentiments were all too well known, meanwhile, with the help of the Americans, organized the Free Thai Movement, a resistance movement'.
You rightly reproached me at the time for not mentioning Seni Pramoj in this connection, and now you are not mentioning Pridi Phanomyong! Fie!
For anyone who wants to discover how truth-finding is done in Thai historiography, I recommend reading the thick 'Thailand and World War II' (Silkworm Books), Direk Jayanama's Jane Keyes-edited memoir. This top diplomat was foreign minister at the time of the Japanese invasion of Thailand. He was one of the few ministers in the Thai Council of Ministers who were critical of the Empire of the Rising Sun and tendered his resignation on December 14, 1941. A few weeks later he was the Thai ambassador in Tokyo until he again became foreign minister from late 1943 to August 1944. He was active in the Free Thailand resistance movement and after the war again held a number of important ministerial posts, including that of deputy prime minister. Whoever reads this book and has any prior knowledge regarding; World War II in Asia will learn with some surprise how a prominent player in this drama, loaded with a resistance halo, apparently finds it necessary to clean up the official Thai war story somewhat in an at times apologetic text… One should not be surprised that the official Thai historiography is open to criticism, to say the least… A personal note to finish: I have been working for several years on a book about the - long forgotten - Asian victims of the construction of the Burma Railway . In a discussion I had with two Thai history teachers in Bangkok a few years ago about the level of involvement of the Thai government, I was 'winning' until I was finally silenced with the following clincher: 'Were you there? No, then you have to keep your mouth shut…! ' Really and truly…
When I speak to Thais in my area and ask about Pol Pot, I only get questioning looks!
Millions of people were killed in the neighboring country, no one knows….
so much about the history of Thais.
In Thai it is called Phon Phot, maybe they know who you mean...
I had also noticed a few times since 1993: even a Thai lady in the international food trade, now over 75, had no idea what had happened in Cambodia. Not a clue (or was it fake?)
Very interesting article. Thanks for the insight.
As for the photo at the beginning.
The swastika is an ancient symbol that is one of the holiest symbols among Hindus (see it everywhere in India) and has also ended up in Buddhism, for example.
The swastikas on the statues in the photo are not an example of the use of Nazi symbols in Thailand.
The Nazis adopted the swastika as a symbol.
By the way, the Nazi symbol has “the hooks” on the other side (pointing clockwise).
More about the history of the swastika can be found on Wikipedia.
A nice overview of Thai history in World War II. (some Thais call it 'The Great East Asian War')
Indeed. Svastika means 'blessing, auspiciousness'. From it in the current Thai greeting สวัสดี sawatdie (tone low, low, middle) is derived. (The Thai spelling says 'swasdie'). 'I wish you prosperity'.
This salute was introduced very recently, sometime around 1940, first for officials and later for the entire Thai people.
Describing war periods, the politics surrounding it, the intrigues, all this is difficult to dissect honestly, let alone teach. Moreover, if you experience a war, then after that war you want to forget everything as soon as possible and try to build a new life. Often accompanied by a shortage of money.
So yes, most Thais cannot speak truthfully, let alone neutrally, about this war period.
My grandfather spent 5 months in a concentration camp during WWII. He hardly talked about this with my dad. Never with me. My grandfather has been there 5 months ago and known hardship. On his return to Belgium, there will probably be many nightmares.
Thanks for the enlightening article.
Once had dinner with a Thai food supplier + supporters somewhere behind Ratchaburi. There was a fan who was a bit older than myself (I guess = older than 1952). My comment: “Ah, the Japanese forgot it”… People really didn't get it…
There is a monument and a museum in Prachuap Khiri khan, where an invasion of the Japanese was recorded in 1941 (at Ao Manao). Very interesting and was surprised that the Thai are so open about this, even though little is generally known about it when I discuss it with Thai friends.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Prachuap_Khiri_Khan
Gringo once typed a piece about that: “33 Hours the Thai Air Force resisted Japan”.
See:
https://www.thailandblog.nl/achtergrond/33-uren-bood-de-thaise-luchtmacht-weerstand-tegen-japan/
See also
https://www.thailandblog.nl/achtergrond/33-uren-bood-de-thaise-luchtmacht-weerstand-tegen-japan
with an interesting video
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Prachuap_Khiri_Khan
Very interesting exchange of information about Thailand and the past. Thx..!!!
I have been in a super relationship with a Thai woman for 4 years. Well educated and speaks English which she told me about the Japanese, the Thai hate the Japanese. She originally comes from the countryside for your information.
When I ask where does that come from, she only says…the Japanese cannot be trusted.
With this I just want to let you know that there is indeed awareness of what the Japanese had done in Thailand, only their culture prevents them from talking badly about people.
There will be quite a few no-no's in Thailand who have no sense of history, such people can also be found in the West. I certainly believe that the History subject is not very popular at school, but that does not mean that the population no longer knows what happened.