The Second World War in Southeast Asia

2.  In little more than 3 months, Japan was in military
control of the countries of French Indochina, the
British possessions in Malaysia, Singapore and
Borneo, almost all of the Netherlands East Indies
(Indonesia) and was occupying Portuguese Timor.
 Basically, Southeast Asia fell to the Japanese in less
than six months of fighting.
 The peoples of Southeast Asia found their new
colonial masters.

4. Indonesia
 Indonesian nationalists like Sukarno and Hatta decided to
pursue their goal of true independence by joining with
the Japanese, while many Indonesians hailed the
Japanese as liberators.
 One of the single most important aspects of the Japanese
occupation of Indonesia was the involvement of the
indigenous people in political organization of the country.
 While Japanese military men were try to develop support
for their country’s war effort, the Indonesians were
taking the opportunity to demonstrate their identity.
 The Japanese occupation provided another important
symbolic guide for young Indonesians.

5. Malay and Singapore
 The Chinese were regarded as enemies and were
treated savagely, at the beginning of the occupation
when ten thousands of Chinese were executed.
 In contrast, less harsh treatment was accorded the
Malays and the Indians, showing some deference to
traditional Malay leaders.
 The Japanese also recruited members of the Indian
minority to enroll in the Indian National Army for
liberate India from the colonial rule.

6. Burma
 The Japanese encouraged local politicians to
become part of an administrative structure, in
theory at least, they had a significant role to play.
 Many thousands younger Burmese claimed the right
to play part in the administration of the country.
 The Japanese established a civilian Burmese
administration headed by a well-known older
nationalist, Ba Maw.
 For a brief period of disagreement seemed to meet
the divergent interests in both parties.

7. Burma
 Japanese interests remained paramount and all
discussion of Burmese independence, power
remained firmly in the hands of the invading army.
 The demand of war led the Japanese to seek the
provision of food, other resources, and labour for
their strategic rail and road building projects.
 These led to the formation of a clandestine
organization with the young military officer Aung
San as a prominent member.

8. The Philippines
 The Philippines politicians who worked with the
Japanese never succeeded in seeming other than
puppets.
 The Japanese brutality against the civilian population
and the heavy economic demands tended to
reinforce a widespread feeling among ordinary.
 There was both a significant guerilla resistance
movement, and a large group of politicians and
administrators worked with the invaders.

9. French Indochina
 It was unique that the French administration continued to
function until early 1945.
 The French’s position remained because of its agreement
made with the Japanese; its colonial territories were put
at the will of them.
 While military and political powers kept by the Japanese,
they demanded for resources and manpower.
 The Communists under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh
succeeded in 1941 in establishing a political front
organization.

10. The Tide of War Turns
 The victories of 1942 had meant the establishment of
new administrations in which local politicians played
a part.
 The Japanese interregnum had brought irrevocable
change to the region and problems and
opportunities differed greatly form country to
country.
 For Thailand, at the beginning, enlisting on the
Japanese side gave of regaining control of areas of
Cambodia and Laos and later Burma.

11. The Tide of War Turns (cont.)
 As circumstances changed so did the Thai leadership
begin its shift to a position that signaled a clear
defection from the Japanese camp.
 Traditional capacity for astute diplomacy, domestic
skills and more demanding problems elsewhere in
Southeast Asia saved Thailand from any serious
humiliation.

12. The Tide of War Turns (cont.)
 In Burma, as British and Indian military forces carried
on a successful campaign defeating the Japanese
army in 1945, the Allied Supreme Commander, Lord
Louis Mountbatten, agreed to cooperate with the
Burmese nationalists.
 In the Philippines, the recon-quest took place with
considerable assistance from various groups such as
Hakbalahap and a Communist organization.

13. First Steps to Independence
 The final Japanese surrender to the Allies took place
in August 1945.
 In Indonesia, Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed
independence and served a notice of readiness to
fight against any attempt at the predisposition of
the Dutch rule.
 In March 1945, six months before the end of the war,
the Japanese forces overthrew the French
administration.

14. First Steps to Independence (cont.)
 It became possible for the communist-led Viet Minh
forces to accelerate their efforts to gain power, and
their forces were the most able and affective.
 When Japan surrendered, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed
the establishment of an independent Vietnam state
on 2 September 1945.
 Cambodia and Laos did not have the high drama that
marked the closing stages of WWII.

15. First Steps to Independence (cont.)
 Malaya had no significant nationalist movement. There
was little local interest in nationalism.
 Even though there was no resistance to the return of the
British themselves once the war had ended, it was not
greeted with flag-decked buildings or by cheering
crowds.
 Singapore was reverted to being a British crown colony.
 British re-established their protectorate over the Brunei
sultanate.
 The Portuguese resumed their colony in April 1946.