Suchergebnisse

An examination of Japanese efforts to gain the cooperation of the intrinsically hostile, but economically vital Overseas Chinese community in Thailand, this article also focuses on the impact of the Japanese wartime presence on the troubled relationship between the Chinese and the Thai authorities, and the success of Chinese entrepreneurs in turning adversity to advantage.

At the end of World War II, American Office of Strategic Service (OSS) officers in Bangkok were dismayed to discover that, contrary to their expectations, the Thai showed little animosity toward the Japanese. The OSS unit reported in August 1945 that 'there has been very little in the way of hostile reaction'. Japanese accounts confirm this, with a Foreign Ministry study, for example, concluding: 'The general attitude of Thai officials and citizens toward Japan just after the war's end was relatively sympathetic….'

American observers were surprised and the Japanese relieved to find that at the end of World War II the Thai showed little sign of hostility toward their erstwhile allies. The paper explores factors which softened the impact of the Japanese military presence and facilitated the post-war renewal of trade and diplomatic relations between Thailand and Japan. (DÜI-Sen)