Japan and Vietnam's Caodaists: A Wartime Relationship (1939–45)
The study describes an asymmetric relationship between Vietnamese Caodaists, followers of the Cao Dai religion, and the Japanese during World War Two. The Caodaists maintained a pro-Japanese stance throughout the occupation, based on their judgement that they could in this way advance the nationalist cause and achieve independence from French rule. The position of the Caodaists immediately after the end of World War Two was adversely affected as a result of their wartime collaboration.
Pan-Asianism in the Co-Prosperity Sphere
Japan’s occupation of the “Co-Prosperity Sphere” began on a strategically auspicious note. The speed at which the Japanese Empire grew in the initial stage of its war with the Allied forces was astonishing. Equally impressive was the geographical extent of this rapidly expanding empire. By March 1942, Japan had extended its war theatre 8,100 by 6,250 miles while bringing about 500 million people under its rule.1 Within a few months of the opening of hostilities, the Empire stretched eastward to the Solomon Islands, westward to Burma, and southward to Timor. This meant that Southeast Asia could now provide Japan with immediate war resources in raw materials and Pacific islands, a cluster of unsinkable aircraft carriers with oil stocks, and military facilities.2
Thailand's Muslim Minorities: Assimilation, Secession, or Coexistence?
THAILAND is a predominantly Buddhist country. For most people its very name conjures up images of saffron-robed monks, temple bells, and statues of the Buddha-images that travel brochures or impressions gained during a fleeting visit do little to dispel. Yet a more careful scrutiny of the Thai scene reveals signs of a very different religious tradition existing side-by-side with the Theravada Buddhist establishment. For Thai Islam, its presence indicated equally by the halal foodstall in a crowded Bangkok market or by the silhouette of a minaret against a rural skyline, continues to flourish throughout much of the country. Today an estimated 1,750,000 people, about 4% of the total population, are Muslims, making Islam the second religion of Thailand.' This article briefly outlines the historical background and geographical distribution of Islam in Thailand, drawing particular attention to the ethnic diversity of the various Thai Muslim peoples, before analyzing the nature of contemporary political relationships between the Thai Buddhist establishment and Thailand's Muslim minority. Even though there can be no precise date for the introduction of Islam to Thailand, it is evident that Arab and Persian Muslims en route to