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The origins of the Cold War in Southeast Asia: Pre-Second World War Siamese cooperation with foreign powers against communism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2022

Alexandre Barthel  and
Wasana Wongsurawat
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Abstract

The origins of the Cold War in Southeast Asia are most often located in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, in the late 1940s. Historians sometimes trace its origins to Japan's expansionist phase in the 1930s, which accelerated the decline of the European and American colonial order in this part of Asia. However, the necessity of the fight against communism appeared very clearly in the minds of the leaders of the major colonial powers well before the 1930s. Focused on the case of Siam, this article aims to show that the origins of the Cold War in Southeast Asia dated back to as early as the 1920s with the emergence of international cooperation in the fight against communism and the Thai elite's manipulation of imperialist powers to further their own political agenda and support their dominance in the domestic political arena. The Cold War in Southeast Asia was not only about the postwar fight against the spread of communism, but also closely intertwined with the decolonisation and nation-building efforts of every country in the region — including of the so-called un-colonised Thailand.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Southeast Asian Studies , Volume 52 , Issue 4 , December 2021 , pp. 658 - 676
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Copyright
Copyright © The National University of Singapore, 2022

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Footnotes

This article is one among the many end products of Dr Barthel's postdoctoral fellowship (2018–20) at the Department of History, Chulalongkorn University, under the supervision of Wasana Wongsurawat, and generously supported through the Ratchadapisek Somphot Fund of the Graduate School of Chulalongkorn University.

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34 AMAE (C)/29CPCOM, 34, ‘Note pour monsieur le chef du cabinet’, 7 Aug. 1925.

35 AMAE(C)/29CPCOM, 34, The Minister of the Colonies to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paris, 18 July 1925, ‘Menées révolutionnaires intéressant les colonies et les pays d'Extrême-Orient’.

36 Ibid.

37 AMAE(C)/29CPCOM, 34,‘Note pour monsieur le chef du cabinet’, 7 Aug. 1925.

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41 Pierre Fistié, L’évolution de la Thaïlande contemporaine (Paris: Armand Colin, 1967), p. 103.

42 Wasana Wongsurawat, The crown and the capitalists, pp. 26–33.

43 AMAE(C)/44CPCOM, 30, The French Minister in Siam to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 1927, ‘La Chine et le Siam’.

44 AMAE Nantes (N)/66PO.1.258, The French Minister in Siam to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at Paris, 6 May 1927.

45 Ibid.

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47 AMAE (N)/66PO.1.113, Varenne, (to the French legation in Siam), 5 Nov. 1927.

48 AMAE (N)/66PO.1.113, The Legation of France in Siam to the Siamese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Traidos, 15 Nov. 1927.

49 AMAE (N)/66PO.1.113, The Siamese Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Chargé d'affaires of the Legation of France at Siam, de Sercey, 23 Nov. 1927.

50 According to Nadaud, the ‘collaboration of the Siamese police with that of Indo-China has so far produced excellent results in the area of the Metropolitan police of Bangkok’, but outside the capital, the collaboration was put into practice ‘only very weakly’. AMAE (N) /66PO.1.113, ‘Notes de M. Nadaud’, ‘Secret’, made in Bangkok, 26 Nov. 1927.

51 Ibid.

52 Ibid.

53 The meeting between Nadaud and Siamese officials also had to be an opportunity ‘to determine the form in which a permanent exchange of identification information on undesirables expelled by the authorities of the two countries and on the fugitives [evaded] or escaped refugees in the neighbouring country could be made’. Ibid.

54 Ibid.

55 The measure also involved, inter alia, ‘common criminals’.

56 AMAE (N)/66PO.1.113, ‘Notes de M. Nadaud’, ‘Secret’, made in Bangkok, 26 Nov. 1927.

57 AMAE (N)/66PO.1.113, The Chargé d'affaires of France in Siam, to the Governor-General of Indochina, 1 Dec. 1927.

58 Ibid.

59 AMAE (N)/66PO.1.113, The Siamese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Traidos, to the Chargé d'affaires de France in Siam, de Sercey, 22 Aug. 1928.

60 Although ‘in accordance with the desire of the Siamese Government no writing had come […] to confirm’ agreements but a letter from Prince Traidos. See AMAE (N)/66PO.1.113, The Chargé d'affaires of France in Siam to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at Paris, 27 Aug. 1928.

61 AMAE (N)/66PO.1.113, The Governor-General of Indochina, to the French Minister in Siam, 12 Mar. 1929.

62 AMAE (C)/38CPCOM, 34, The Minister of France, Roger Maugras, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Paris, 5 Mar. 1932, ‘Questions d'extradition entre le Siam et l'Indochine’.

63 National Archives of Thailand (NA), Seventh Reign (King Prajadhipok, R7), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1–24, microfilm R7 T/1.

64 AMAE (C)/38CPCOM, 34, The Minister of France, Roger Maugras, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Paris, 5 Mar. 1932, ‘Questions d'extradition entre le Siam et l'Indochine’.

65 Angkor was in the territory of French Indochina. AMAE (C)/44CPCOM, 30, The French Minister in Siam, Henry, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Paris, 17 Sept. 1929, ‘Interview du prince Amoradat ministre du Siam aux États-Unis’.

66 Wibun Sawatdikun, Chotmaihet raiwan phrabatsomdetphrachaoyuhua sadet praphat prathet indochin pho. so. 2473 [Daily records of His Majesty's travels to Indochina 2473 BE] (Bangkok: Sophonphiphatthanakon, 1930), p. 49.

67 René Valande, L'Indochine sous la menace communiste (Paris: J. Peyronnet et Cie Editeurs, 1930), pp. 24–5.

68 Blumberger, Le communisme aux Indes Néerlandaises, p. xiii.

69 Thep Boondanond, ‘King Vajiravudh and the making of his military image’ (MA diss., Chulalongkorn University, 2013).

70 Wasana Wongsurawat, The crown and the capitalists.

71 NA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1–24, microfilm R7-T/1, The Siamese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Devawongse, to the Chargé d'affaires of France in Siam, Chauvet.

72 Eiji Murashima, Kamnoet phak khommionit sayam [The birth of the Communist Party of Siam] (Bangkok: Matichon, 2003), p. 3.

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74 Thailand's first anti-communist law was promulgated in 1933, after the revolution that supposedly ended the absolute monarchy. However, the Communist Act of 1933 was pushed through by the royalist faction in the first constitutional government, led by Phraya Manopakhon Nitithada, the first prime minister. See Baker, Chris and Phongpaichit, Pasuk, A history of Thailand (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 120Google Scholar.

75 AMAE(c)/44CPCOM, 72, Document addressed to the Director of Political Affairs and General Security, Hanoi, 15 Feb. 1938, ‘Répression communiste à Bangkok’.

76 Eiji Murashima, Kanmueang Chin Siam [Politics of the ethnic Chinese in Siam] (Bangkok: Institute for Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, 1996), pp. 130–31.

77 Ibid. These were letters warning the ethnic Chinese in Thailand against collaborating with the enemy of the Chinese nation, that is, against doing business with the Japanese or supporting the Thai government's pro-Japanese stance.

78 The 24 arrested for anti-Japanese activities, few of whom were communists: Xu Xia (mentioned above); Jiang Xiaochu (see above); Li Baike (Lee Pack Hach, 李百克), 26, from Fujian but born in Siam, he was living on ‘New Road’; Wu Linman (see above); Lu Zhaohe (Lo Siew Hock, 盧肇鶴), 34, from Chaozhou, doctor at ‘Solid Hospital’; Xu Yixin (see above); Xu Yu (Kou Yok, 許煜), 26, from Choazhou, teacher at Shuren school; Chen Daixiong (Tan Tai Hong, 陳大雄), 48 years old, from Choazhou, ‘trader living in Krom Chao Tha, Bangkok’; Beizi Duan (see above); Wu Tuisi (Ngo Toh Si, 伍退思), 28, from Chaozhou, teacher at Qiming School; Li Zicheng (Lee Che Seng, 李子陞), 50, from Chaouzhou, trader in Bangkok; A Tuo (Ah Toh, 阿駝), 45, from Chaouzhou, member of the secret society ‘Buan Heng’; A Yi (Ah E, 阿宜), 35, from Chaouzhou, member of the secret society ‘Buan Heng’; Zhen Bo (Chin Poh, 鎮波), 42, from Chaozhou, member of the secret society Hoon Kia Cheng; A Yong (Ah Yong, 阿永), 41, from Chaozhou, member of the ‘Tai Kung Tung’ secret society; Kai Wu (Kai Boo, 開武), 35, Chaozhou born in Siam, member of the ‘Sin Tat Lat’ secret society; Liang Yu (Liang Yoo, 亮裕), 45, from Chaozhou, member of the Huay Hung secret society; Lang Zhude (see above); [Nai] Hui (Hai Kui, [乃] 輝), 36, from Chaozhou, member of the ‘Luck Kuck’ secret society; Zhen Ting (Chin Theng, 鎮庭), 32, member of the ‘Ngoo Tow Huay’ secret society; Jia Hai (Kia Hai, 家海), 38, member of the ‘Huay Hung’ Secret Society; A Wu (Ah Boo, 阿武), 58, Sino-Thai born in Siam, member of the secret society ‘Luck Kuck’; Lin Qiuye (Lam Chew Eah, 林秋野), 27, from Chaozhou, teacher at ‘Cha Hua’ School, member of the Chinese Army recruiting office; Guo Ku (Kok Koo, 郭枯), 30, from Chaozhou, teacher at ‘Se Hua’ School, member of the Chinese Army recruiting office. See AMAE(C)/44CPCPOM, 72, Document addressed to the Director of Political Affairs of the ‘Sûreté Générale’, Hanoi, 28 Feb. 1938, ‘Les récentes répressions communistes à Bangkok’; and Murashima, Kanmueang Chin Siam, pp. 130–31.

79 AMAE(C)/44CPCOM, 72, Document addressed to the Director of Political Affairs of the ‘Sûreté Générale’ in Hanoi, 15 Feb. 1938. ‘Répression communiste à Bangkok’.

80 AMAE(C)/44CPCOM, 72, Document addressed to the Director of Political Affairs of the ‘Sûreté Générale’, Hanoi, 28 Feb. 1938, ‘Les récentes répressions communistes à Bangkok’.

81 Ibid.

82 Daniel M. Fineman, ‘The United States and military government in Thailand, 1947–1958’ (PhD diss., Yale University, 1993), pp. 97–114.

83 Suchin Tantikun, Ratthaprahan pho. so. 2490 [The coup of 2490 BE] (Bangkok: Thai Social Science Press, 1976), pp. 93–4.

84 AMAE(C)/147QO, 67, The Chargé d'affaires of France in Siam, Daridan, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Paris, 27 June 1947, ‘Colonie chinoise au Siam’.

85 AMAE (C)/147QO, 34, The Chargé d'affaires de France in Siam, De La Grandville, to the High Commissioner of France in Indochina, 18 Nov. 1948, ‘Politique du gouvernement Pibul à l’égard du Viet-Minh’.

86 AMAE (C)/147QO, 34, The French Minister in Siam, Gilbert, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Paris, 5 July 1948, ‘Attitude siamoise devant le communisme’.

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