Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Cold War, 1945-1950

BRITAIN, SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE ONSET OF THE COLD WAR, 1945-1950 This detailed and original study throws new light on the evolution of British policy in Southeast Asia in the turbulent post-war period. Through extensive archival research and insightful analysis of the British mind-set and official policy, Tarling demonstrates that Southeast Asia was perceived as a region consisting of mutually co-operating new states, rather than a fragmented mass. The book covers the immediate postwar period until the Colombo Plan and the outbreak of hostilities in Korea. A companion volume to Tarling's Britain,

Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Pacific War, it finds parallels

between Britain's approach to the threat of Japan and its approach to the threat of communism. It also shows that the British sought to shape US involvement, in part by involving other Commonwealth countries, especially India. This is a major contribution to the diplomatic and political history of Southeast Asia.

Nicholas Tarling was Professor of History at the University of Auckland from 1968 to 1997 and has since been a fellow of the New Zealand Asia Institute, Visiting Professor at Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Honorary Professor at the University

of Hull. He is editor of the Cambridge History of Southeast Asia,

volumes 1 and 2, and author of the companion volume to this one, Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Pacific War (1996) and Nations and States in Southeast Asia (1998), both

published by Cambridge University Press.

For Margaret Lamb

BRITAIN, SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE ONSET OF THE COLD WAR, 1945-1950 NICHOLAS TARLING

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521632614 © Nicholas Tarling 1998 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1998 This digitally printed first paperback version 2006 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data Tarling, Nicholas. Britain, Southeast Asia and the onset of the Cold War, 1945-1950/ Nicholas Tarling. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-521-63261-7 (hardbound: alk. paper). 1. Asia, Southeastern — Foreign relations — Great Britain. 2. Great Britain — Foreign relations — Asia, Southeastern. 3. Cold War. 4. World politics, 1945- . 5. Asia, Southeastern - History - 1945- . 6. Great Britain - History - George VI, 1936-1952. I. Title. DS525.9.G7T369 1998 327.41059-dc21 98-14096 ISBN-13 978-0-521-63261-4 hardback ISBN-10 0-521-63261-7 hardback ISBN-13 978-0-521-03336-7 paperback ISBN-10 0-521-03336-5 paperback

Contents

Preface

vii

List of abbreviations

ix

Maps

xi

1 Wartime Plans for post-war Southeast Asia, 1942-1945 Britain's place in the world The Burma White Paper of 17 May 1945 The Malayan Union concept The Borneo take-over proposal The restoration of relations with Siam The return of the French to Indo-China Cooperation with the Dutch The liberation of the Philippines The coordination of British policy

1 1 9 17 21 22 37 40 43 45

2 Southeast Asia after the Japanese Surrender, 1945-1946 The Third Force concept The Special Commissioner Dorman-Smith and the AFPFL General Gracey and the Viet Minh Troops and talks in Indonesia Malay opposition The Anglo-Siamese Treaty Destruction and reconstruction in the Philippines

51 51 54 62 77 87 105 108 128

3 The Re-establishment of Colonial Regimes in Southeast Asia, 1946 Regionalism and nationalism Lord Killearn's mission

131 131 133

vi

CONTENTS The strikes in Burma The clash in Tonkin The Linggadjati agreement The Anglo-Malay negotiations The anti-cession movement in Sarawak Negotiating a treaty with the Philippines Thai rice

134 151 160 173 175 177 180

4

Concession and Conflict, 1947 The crises of 1947 The Commissioner-General The independence of Burma The Federation of Malaya The first Dutch 'police action' Moutet and Bollaert The return of Pibun The Philippines and North Borneo

185 185 188 194 209 211 236 245 254

5

The Impact of Communism, 1948 Western Union Imperialism and communism The advance of Chinese communism Instability in Burma The second Dutch 'police action' The recognition of Pibun The Baie d'Along accords The Sulu heirs The Malayan Emergency

263 263 267 270 272 280 295 301 309 309

6

Commonwealth and Colombo, 1949-1950 India and the United States Aid for Burma The Round Table agreement on Indonesia The recognition of the Bao Dai regime in Vietnam Thai cooperation Optimism in Malaya and Borneo The Philippines and the Baguio initiative Concluding remarks

315 315 342 357 373 397 402 405 410

Personalia Notes Bibliography Index

413 415 471 479

Preface

This book gives an account of Britain's policy towards Southeast Asia in the years 1945-50. Aspects of this topic have been dealt with by other writers, but there are gaps. The present book aims to fill some of these, but its main novelty is its overall approach, placing the policy towards the various countries in the region both in juxtaposition with one another and in the larger international context. A great deal has been written on Malaya and Borneo, and the book does not aim to repeat that. It is more concerned with Burma before and after 1948 and with Britain's post-war relations with Siam. I recognise that much has also been written on the international aspects of the Indonesian revolution, but this book carries the account of Britain's policy beyond the Linggadjati agreement of November 1946. Britain's dealing with French Indo-China is also taken beyond the departure of Gracey earlier that year. Though its focus is on British policy, the book throws light on that of the Dutch and of the French, and in particular on the impact on it of metropolitan politics. It also throws light, of course, on the nationalists, and in particular their relative ability to exploit the international situation in pursuit of their goals. The book is divided into six chapters. The chronological divisions employed correspond to major changes within and outside the region. Each chapter has an introduction on the changes and then deals with the several countries concerned, bringing out the general themes and interrelationships. It does not deal in any detail with Laos and Cambodia, and it relies largely on other authorities, such as Albert Lau, in its handling of Malaya/Singapore. The thrust and approach differ from those of recent books by Tilman Remme and Rolf Tanner. The book is necessarily longer, too. In some

viii

PREFACE

sense it is an analogue of Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Pacific

War (Cambridge University Press, 1996). There are indeed some parallels between Britain's approach to the threat of Japan and its approach to the threat of communism which it is an objective of the present volume to bring out. I acknowledge the help of Dr Brook Barrington and of Mrs Elaine Hull, my secretary over many years. I am grateful, too, to the editors of Modern Asian Studies, the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, the Journal of Comparative and Colonial Politics, the Journal of the Siam Society and the

South East Asia Review for publishing earlier versions of some of the material, and to the New Zealand Asia Institute at the University of Auckland for its support. NICHOLAS TARLING

Vlll

Abbreviations

ABTUC AFNEI AFO AFPFL AMCJA BCP BDA BIS BNA CCAO CCP CCS CFB CIGS COS CRO CTRC ECAFE ERP FMS GOC IEFC INA KMT MCP MCS MDU MNP

All Burma Trades Union Congress Allied Forces NEI Anti-Fascist Organisation (later AFPFL) Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League All-Malayan Council of Joint Action Burma Communist Party Burma Defence Army British Information Services Burma National Army (Tatmadaw) Chief Civil Affairs Officer Chinese Communist Party Combined Chiefs of Staff Combined Food Board Chief of the Imperial General Staff Chiefs of Staff Commonwealth Relations Office Combined Thai Rice Commission Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East European Recovery Program Federated Malay States Good Offices Committee International Emergency Food Council Indian National Army Kuomintang Malayan Communist Party Malayan Civil Service Malayan Democratic Union Malay Nationalist Party

x MPAJA MPU MRP NEI OEEC ORC OSS PBF PMCJA PUSC PUTERA PVO, (PYA) RTC SAC SACSEA SEAC SOE SS UMNO UMS UNRAA USI

ABBREVIATIONS Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army Malayan Planning Unit (War Office) Mouvement republicain populaire Netherlands East Indies Organisation for European Economic Cooperation Overseas Reconstruction Committee Office of Strategic Services Patriotic Burmese Forces Pan-Malayan Council for Joint Action Permanent Under-Secretary's Committee Pusat Tenaga Ra'ayat People's Volunteer Organization (Burma), (Pyithu Yebaw Ahphwe) Round Table Conference Supreme Allied Commander Supreme Allied Commander, South-East Asia South-East Asia Command Special Operations Executive Straits Settlements United Malays National Organisation Unfederated Malay States United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United States of Indonesia

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