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        • Voices from Syonan
        • Return to British Rule
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        • Buildup to World War 2
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        • War Crimes Trials
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        • The Thai-Japanese Relationship
        • Phibun’s Domestic and International Policies
        • The Free Thai Resistance Movement
        • Post WW2 Aftermath of Thailand
      • The Khabarovsk War Crimes Trial - Guide >
        • Defendants of Khabarovsk War Crime
        • The Japanese Empire and USSR in WW2
        • The Employment of the Bacteriological Weapon in the War
        • Planning of Japan invasion to USSR
      • Unit 731 Cover-up : The Operation Paperclip of the East - Guide >
        • Establishing Manchukuo
        • The Development of Unit 731
        • Plan Kantokuen and Bacteriological Warfare
        • The Downfall of the Japanese WW2 Era
        • Three Stages of Interrogations
        • Lasting Impacts
      • Marutas of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • How did Ishii Shiro start unit 731?
        • A Beta Testing Site
        • Establishing Pingfan
        • Experiences at the Human Experimentation Complex
        • Vivisection at the Unit 731
        • Anta Testing Grounds
        • Overall Advance from the Laboratory Creations
        • The End of the War
      • Prince Konoe Memoir - Guide >
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        • The Second Sino Japanese War
        • Japan in the South
        • Operation U-Go
      • Battle of Shanghai - Guide >
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        • The First Battle of Shanghai 1932
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        • History of Biological Weapons and The Young Ishii Shiro
        • Establishment in Manchuria
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        • Background of Formosa
        • Industrialization of Japan
        • China During WWII
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        • Colonel Memorandum
        • The Beginning of Biological Warfare
        • The Bacteriological Warfare on China
        • Victims in Zhejiang’s Testimonies
        • After the War
      • Rice and Revolution - Guide >
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        • Imperial Japan’s Entry into Indochina
        • The Portents of Famine
        • The Famine (1944-45)
        • Legacy of the 1944-45 Vietnam Famine
      • Clash of Empires - Guide >
        • Japan’s Imperialist Origins
        • Japan’s Competition against the West: Nanshin-ron and Hokushin-ron
        • Japanese Imperialism Through the Lens of French Indochina
        • The U.S.-Japan Relations and the Pearl Harbor Attack
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        • How World War II Complicated Food Scarcity and Invention
        • American Military Innovations
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        • Feeding the Army: The Adaptation of Japanese Military Cuisine and Its Impact on the Philippines
        • Mixed Dishes: Culinary Innovations Driven by Necessity and Food Scarcity
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        • Brief Overview of Imperial Japan
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        • Youth and Education
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        • Introduction and Historical Background
        • The Class Divide During the Bombings
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        • Key Incidents - Great Tunnel Massacre
        • The Aftermath of the Bombings
        • Legacy and Commemoration
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Southeast Asian Countries and the Imperial Takeover (Part II)

4/2/2019

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by Nickii Wantakan Arcado
Southeast Asian Countries and the Imperial Takeover
During World War II, various Southeast Asian countries were engulfed by the Imperial Japanese Military as part of their vision to create a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. This is Part II of a IV part series. Outlined below is a brief history of major events during the Cambodian Campaign including the beginning of Japanese colonialism and the eventual conclusion of the war:
Operation Cambodia : カンボジア王国
After the fall of France in 1940, the country struggled with maintaining its political and economic hold over Indochina. An event that initially began as Japan’s influence over Cambodia started as Japan tried to mediate over the signing of concessions during and after the Franco-Thai war. The Japanese army hosted a signing ceremony in Tokyo that called on the French regime to relinquish ⅓ of Cambodia’s land to Thailand, totaling to about half a million citizens. These lands, which Thailand claimed were historically theirs, included the provinces of Siem Reap, Koh Kong, Battambang as well as the land between the 15th parallel.

Japan then began its operation to infiltrate Indochina in 1941. In August of the same year, the Japanese Army moved 8,000 troop members into Cambodia to establish a military garrison. Despite this intervention, the Imperial Army still chose to keep the French Vichy regime in their administrative posts, and not much movement existed on the political front. Compare to other Southeast Asian counterparts, the Japanese occupation of Cambodia possessed the least amount of bloodshed. 
Southeast Asian Countries and the Imperial Takeover
Hem Chieu was well known for preaching anti-French sermons to Khmer troops as well as his opposition to the French introduction of the Gregorian calendar and romanticization of Khmer scripts (as had been done in Vietnam) in the Cambodian educational curriculum
Although Japan did find a receptive audience in Cambodia, one instance of civilian resistance was during the confrontation of the politically active Buddhist monk, Hem Chieu. Hem Chieu was well known for preaching anti-French sermons to Khmer troops as well as his opposition to the French introduction of the Gregorian calendar and romanticization of Khmer scripts (as had been done in Vietnam) in the Cambodian educational curriculum. Recognizing his unwillingness to yield to French authorities, he was arrested and defrocked in July 1942. ​

Leaders and editors of Nagaravatta, the first Khmer language newspaper that was established in 1936, called for his immediate release. This included Pach Chhoeun, and editor at Nagaravatta and Son Ngoc Thanh the founder of the newspaper company. Both Chhoeun and Thanh decided to stage a march in front of the French residency consisting of over 2,000 people, with a majority being monks. Unfortunately, the Japanese did not provide the support the nationalist had hoped for, and Chhoeun was arrested and sentenced of life imprisonment for disobedience towards the French regime. Thanh, on the other hand, was taken to Japan and trained under the Japanese army for three years, eventually rising to become a captain at the Japanese army.
Son Ngoc Thanh
Son Ngoc Thanh
Pach Chhoeun
Pach Chhoeun
That all changed in 1945 with the Meigo Sakusen (Operation Bright Moon), the Japanese coup d'état of Indochina.
That all changed in 1945 with the Meigo Sakusen (Operation Bright Moon), the Japanese coup d'état of Indochina. This historical event was in direct response to the growing military strength of the allied forces (now with the participation of the United States) and the Japanese army’s increase in battle losses. During the coup, all French administrators were relieved of their duties and learning military units were forced to disarm. The imperial army sought to reignite support for Tokyo’s war effort as well as encourage rulers to call for independence in the face of Western colonialism. 

The Japanese Army pressured young king Norodom Sihanouk to proclaim Cambodia (then, the Kingdom of Kampuchea) an independent state on March 9, 1945. Simultaneously, as the country was now deemed ‘independent’, Sihanouk also served as Prime Minister. Thanh eventually returned back to Cambodia and was made Foreign Minister.
The Japanese Army pressured young king Norodom Sihanouk to proclaim Cambodia (then, the Kingdom of Kampuchea) an independent state on March 9, 1945.
The Japanese Army pressured young king Norodom Sihanouk to proclaim Cambodia (then, the Kingdom of Kampuchea) an independent state on March 9, 1945.
King Norodom Sihanouk
The independence of Cambodia was short-lived as five months later, the Imperial Japanese army surrendered in August 1945. During this time, Thanh made himself Prime Minister of Cambodia. The puppet state was later dissolved in October 1945, and Thanh again was forced to flee. Then beginning May 1947, King Sihanouk reluctantly proclaimed a new constitution, which reduced him to a mere spiritual figurehead under the system of a constitutional monarchy. It was not until 1953, that Cambodia would gain full independence from the French. 
References:
Hayes, Michael. “The Legacy of Achar Hem Chieu, National, Phnom Penh Post.” The Legacy of Achar Hem Chieu, National, Phnom Penh Post, Post Media Co Ltd 888 Building H, 8th Floor Phnom Penh Center Corner Sothearos & Sihanouk Blvd Sangkat Tonle Bassac 120101 Phnom Penh Cambodia, 2 Oct. 1998, www.phnompenhpost.com/national/legacy-achar-hem-chieu.
Cambodia - The Japanese Occupation, 1941-45, www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-2221.html.
Pike, John. “Military.” Japanese Occupation - 1940-1945, www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/cambodia/history-japan.htm.

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  • Home
    • About >
      • FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions
    • Support Us >
      • Projects you can support! >
        • Distributing Books
        • Presenting at 112th Annual Meeting of Pacific Coast Branch
        • Summer Research Relocation Fund
    • Contact
  • Stories
    • Videos >
      • Black Hearts (2021)
    • Blog
    • Podcast: Forgotten History
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      • 2017 Summer Showcase & Fundraiser
  • Books
  • Archives
  • Resource Page
    • Supplementary Research Guides >
      • Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Background of Biochemical Warfare Development
        • Imperial Japan's Chemical Warfare Development Program
        • Map of Unit 731
        • Personnel of Unit 731
        • Duties of Unit 731
        • Human Experimentation
        • [GRAPHIC] Germ Warfare Attacks
        • Cover Ups After the War
        • [OLD] Cover Ups After the War
      • Philippines' Resistance - Guide >
        • Philippines World War II Timeline
        • The Japanese Invasion & Conquest of the Philippines
        • Bataan Death March
        • Formation of Underground Philippines Resistance
        • Supplies of the Guerrilla Fighters
        • The Hukbalahap
        • Hunter's ROTC
        • Marking's Guerrillas
        • United States Army Forces in the Philippines of Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL)
        • The Aetas
        • Chinese and Filipino-Chinese Nationalist Guerrilla Units
        • The Female Faces of the Philippine Guerrillas
      • Rising Sun Flag - Guide >
        • History of the Rising Sun Flag
        • Atrocities Committed Under the Flag
        • Rising Sun Flag in Pop Culture
      • Pinay Guerrilleras - Guide >
        • Japanese Occupation of the Philippine Islands: Pinays Answering the Call to Arms
        • The Fierce Heneralas and Kumanders of the Hukbalahap Guerrillas
        • Amazons of the Pacific Theater
        • Filipina American Veterans: Recovering the Extraordinary Feats of the Ordinary Pinays
        • The Legacy of the Asian Women Soldier
      • Fall of Singapore - Guide >
        • Singapore World War II Timeline
        • History of World War II in the Pacific
        • History of Singapore
        • Japan's Conquest in Asia
        • Japan's Invasion of the Malay Peninsula
        • Sook Ching Massacre
        • Double Tenth Incident
        • Social Changes and Challenges in Singapore
        • Voices from Syonan
        • Return to British Rule
      • Three Years and Eight Months - Guide >
        • Hong Kong before WW2
        • Buildup to World War 2
        • The Battle of Hong Kong
        • Life during 3 Years and 8 Months
        • East River Column Guerrilla Fighters
        • Prisoners of War Camps
        • End of Japanese Occupation
        • War Crimes Trials
      • Siamese Sovereignty - Guide >
        • The Land of Smiles
        • The Thai-Japanese Relationship
        • Phibun’s Domestic and International Policies
        • The Free Thai Resistance Movement
        • Post WW2 Aftermath of Thailand
      • The Khabarovsk War Crimes Trial - Guide >
        • Defendants of Khabarovsk War Crime
        • The Japanese Empire and USSR in WW2
        • The Employment of the Bacteriological Weapon in the War
        • Planning of Japan invasion to USSR
      • Unit 731 Cover-up : The Operation Paperclip of the East - Guide >
        • Establishing Manchukuo
        • The Development of Unit 731
        • Plan Kantokuen and Bacteriological Warfare
        • The Downfall of the Japanese WW2 Era
        • Three Stages of Interrogations
        • Lasting Impacts
      • Marutas of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • How did Ishii Shiro start unit 731?
        • A Beta Testing Site
        • Establishing Pingfan
        • Experiences at the Human Experimentation Complex
        • Vivisection at the Unit 731
        • Anta Testing Grounds
        • Overall Advance from the Laboratory Creations
        • The End of the War
      • Prince Konoe Memoir - Guide >
        • Who is Prince Konoe?
        • Preparation to Tripartite Pact
        • Emperor Hirohito and Prince Konoe
        • The End of Prince Konoe
      • Competing Empires in Burma - Guide >
        • What was the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • When did the China-Burma-India Theater Happen?
        • Who Fought in the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • The Second Sino Japanese War
        • Japan in the South
        • Operation U-Go
      • Battle of Shanghai - Guide >
        • The Battle of Shanghai. Background
        • Shanghai Before War
        • The First Battle of Shanghai 1932
        • Battle of Shanghai 1937
        • Aftermath of Battle for Shanghai
      • Ishi Shiro - Guide >
        • History of Biological Weapons and The Young Ishii Shiro
        • Establishment in Manchuria
        • Pingfang District - Harbin
        • Failures and Corruption
        • Post War
      • Taiwan The Israel of the East - Guide >
        • Background of Formosa
        • Industrialization of Japan
        • China During WWII
        • Taiwan under Kuomintang
        • New Taiwanese National Identity
      • Seeking Justice for Biological Warfare Victims of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Introduction of Wang Xuan
        • Colonel Memorandum
        • The Beginning of Biological Warfare
        • The Bacteriological Warfare on China
        • Victims in Zhejiang’s Testimonies
        • After the War
      • Rice and Revolution - Guide >
        • The French Colonial Period
        • Anti-Colonial Resistance
        • The Rise of the Communist Movement
        • Imperial Japan’s Entry into Indochina
        • The Portents of Famine
        • The Famine (1944-45)
        • Legacy of the 1944-45 Vietnam Famine
      • Clash of Empires - Guide >
        • Japan’s Imperialist Origins
        • Japan’s Competition against the West: Nanshin-ron and Hokushin-ron
        • Japanese Imperialism Through the Lens of French Indochina
        • The U.S.-Japan Relations and the Pearl Harbor Attack
      • Hunger for Power and Self-SufficiencyI - Guide >
        • The Influence of War Rations on Post-War Culinary Transformations
        • How World War II Complicated Food Scarcity and Invention
        • American Military Innovations
        • Government-Sponsored Food Inventions in Europe during World War II
        • Feeding the Army: The Adaptation of Japanese Military Cuisine and Its Impact on the Philippines
        • Mixed Dishes: Culinary Innovations Driven by Necessity and Food Scarcity
      • Denial A Quick Look of History of Comfort Women and Present Days’ Complication - Guide >
        • The Comfort Women System and the Fight for Recognition
        • The Role of Activism and International Pressure
        • The Controversy over Japanese History Textbooks
        • The Sonyŏsang Statue and the Symbolism of Public Memorials
        • Activism and Support from Japanese Citizens
        • The Future of Comfort Women Memorials and Education
      • Echoes of Empire: The Power of Japanese Propaganda - Guide >
        • Brief Overview of Imperial Japan
        • Defining Propaganda
        • Propaganda Encouraging Action​
        • The Rise of Nationalism
        • The Formation of Japanese State Propaganda
        • Youth and Education
      • Shadows of the Rising Sun: The Black Dragon Society and the Dawn of Pan-Asianism - Guide >
        • Origins of the Black Dragon Society
        • The Influence of Pan-Asianism
        • Relationship with Sun Yat-sen
        • The Role in Southeast Asia
        • The Spread of Ideology and Espionage
        • Disbandment and Legacy
      • Chongqing Bombing: The Forgotten Blitz of Asia and Its Lasting Impact - Guide >
        • Introduction and Historical Background
        • The Class Divide During the Bombings
        • Resilience and Unity of Chongqing
        • Key Incidents - Great Tunnel Massacre
        • The Aftermath of the Bombings
        • Legacy and Commemoration
      • Shanghai's International Zone: A Nexus of War, Intelligence, and Survival - Guide >
        • Historical Background
        • The International Zone
        • Battles in Shanghai
        • Civilian Intelligence Efforts
        • Wartime Brutality
        • Aftermath & Legacy
    • Lesson Plans >
      • Reparations
      • Ethics in Science
      • Writing the Narrative of a Pinay Fighter
      • Privilege Journal
      • Environmental Injustices
      • Female Guerrillas
      • Hunter's ROTC
      • Scientific Advancements
      • Seeking Justice: A Humanities Lesson Plan
      • The Hukbalahap
      • Trading Immunity
      • Bataan Death March
      • Biochemical Warfare Development
  • History Remembered
Contribute