The Thai Resistance in World War II

Organising the Resistance

Overseas Thais in the allied powers were in various ways inducted into military service. These were mostly students, some of whom were studying as military students. They were to form the core of the external resistance movement. The numbers of Thais who fled to China, whether Thais, Sino-Thais or tribespeople, are rather larger than those Thais in the western countries but details of their stories are disappointingly sparse at present.

Until parachute drops started to become successfully organized in 1944, the internal and external resistance movements were almost completely unaware of each other. Allied understanding of Thailand and conditions throughout Southeast Asia was vague and very little news of the outside world penetrated beyond the high levels of Bangkok. Nevertheless, the internal resistance movement was headed by very senior figures in the Thai government, led by Prime Minister Phibul himself, with the various political factions united by a patriotic love of their country. Until contact was properly established with the outside resistance movement and promises of aid from American forces received (promises that had not yet been guaranteed in fact), Thai resistance fighters confined themselves to individual attacks on lone, incautious soldiers or acts of minor theft and sabotage. However, some opportunities fro larger scale interference did present themselves and these were taken - as for example the destruction of train carriages of ammunition. Later, when contact was established and consignments of bren and sten guns and other military equipment were delivered to Bangkok and distributed to cadres further afield, then more open armed resistance was possible. By this time, Japanese forces, which initially consisted, as the Japanese Siam Garrison Army of headquarters units in Bangkok and the 29th Independent Mixed Regiment deployed around the country, was reinforced by additional combat units designated for operations in Burma [Myanmar] and Malaya [Malaysia]. Guerrilla units numbered as many as 10,000 in the Bangkok and Thonburi areas.

Actions

Allied powers needed information on Japanese troop dispositions and movements, so they could be attacked by bombers. Also of critical importance was information on the whereabouts of allied prisoners-of-war, many of whom had been forced into building the Death Railway - the rail link across Thailand that was destined to support the Japanese war effort in Burma. The Allies also needed political background and some understanding of what sorts of post-war settlements might be possible, with Thailand having acquired territory from neighbouring countries as part of

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