THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Siam and WW2: useful facts

Siam and WW2: useful facts

Re: "A footnote on Siam's role in World War II", Letters, December 10.

Songdej Praditsmanont may take exception to David Brown’s statement that he rewrote history by claiming Siam was neutral in WW11, but the substantial historical evidence from a wide range of sources suggests that David Brown’s assertions are closer to the truth.
Thailand certainly began the war as a neutral state, but following the Japanese invasion in 1941, declared war against the Allies in May 1942. The declaration of war was handed to the British government by the Thai ambassador in London; however the same declaration did not reach the US government as the Thai ambassador in Washington (Seni Pramoj) disagreed with this action. As a consequence, Britain regarded Thailand as an enemy state as a result of this declaration of war, pure and simple; nothing to do with vindictive moves linked, as Khun Songdej suggests, to the loss of Singapore. The United States regarded Thailand as a neutral state as unlike Britain, there had been no such declaration.
To suggest that Thailand’s position was one of continuous, non-bellicose neutrality belies the historical facts however.
Thai troops were in action against French forces in Indo China from 1940 and were rewarded by the Japanese with territory in Laos and Cambodia as well as in British North Malay. Later in the war and on the other side of the coin, Thai resistance movements raised in United States and in Britain played an important part in the eventual defeat of Japan.
The ambiguous situation for Britain and the United States regarding Thailand’s role had important ramifications after the war with Britain treating Thailand more harshly and demanding reparations of rice. The more conciliatory attitude of the United States was a major reason for their replacing Britain as the key Western ally of Thailand from the 1950s onwards – the long term benefits for Thailand one might reasonably question.
Ian Bushell
Chiang Mai University

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