''Si Rat Malai'' (, 'Four Malay States') is a former administrative division of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. It included the four northern states of

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...

Perlis Perlis (Kedah Malay language, Kedah Malay (Perlis dialect): ''Peghelih'') is a Negeri, state of Malaysia in the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. The state borders the Thai ...

Kelantan Kelantan (; Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate''; ) is a state in Malaysia. The capital, Kota Bharu, includes the royal seat of Kubang Kerian. The honorific, honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' ("The Blissful Abode"). ...

, and

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

by the Axis-aligned Thai government after the

Japanese invasion of Malaya The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...

. The Thai authorities made

Alor Setar Alor Setar ( Kedah Malay: ) is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is home to the third-tallest ...

the centre for the administration of the territory. Thailand administered the states as

Syburi Syburi (; , meaning "City of the Banyan") is the name for the Malay state of Kedah returned to Thailand when the Japanese occupied British Malaya during World War II. History General Plaek Phibunsongkhram signed a secret agreement with the ...

(), Palit (), Kalantan () and Trangkanu ()

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

from 18 October 1943 until the surrender of the Japanese at the end of the war.

History

On 14 December 1941, General

Plaek Phibunsongkhram Plaek Phibunsongkhram; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964) was a Thai military officer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and again from 1948 to 1957. He rose to power as a leading member of the Kh ...

, then Prime Minister of Thailand, signed a secret agreement with the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

and committed the Thai armed forces to participate in the planned

Burma Campaign The Burma campaign was a series of battles fought in the British colony of British rule in Burma, Burma as part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II. It primarily involved forces of the Allies of World War II, Allies (mainly from ...

. An alliance between Thailand and Japan was formally signed on 21 December 1941. On 25 January 1942, the Thai government, believing the Allies to be beaten, declared war on the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. As a reward for entering into a military alliance with the Japanese, the latter agreed to return to Thailand the four

n provinces of

, and

which had been ceded to the British under the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909. After occupation on 20 August 1943, an agreement on the surrender of the four states was signed in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, between Phibunsongkhram and the Japanese ambassador, Teiji Tonbukami. Among the conditions in the agreement stated that Japan would hand over the administration of the four Malay states to Thailand within 60 days after the signature of the document. On 18 October 1943, the four Malay states were transferred to Thailand. On the occasion, Prime Minister Phibunsongkhram declared that the citizens of the annexed states were to be granted equal treatment to the inhabitants of other parts of Thailand. The Japanese authorities, however, retained a great degree of control. Japanese troops and the Kempeitai continued to be stationed in the four states. Rail services would be run by Thai officers only in Kelantan, and the rail links in Kedah and Perlis would remain in Japanese hands. The Japanese also had the full control of the

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

, post and telephone services over the nominally Thai territories. Thailand was still allied with Japan when the war ended, but the United States proposed a solution. In September 1945, British control of the four states was reinstated, under the British Military Administration. On 1 April 1946 the former Thai-occupied states joined the

Malayan Union The Malayan Union (; Jawi: كساتوان مالايا) was a union of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single g ...

Administration

The Thai administrative service in the northern Malay states was relatively small, and the officers were more concentrated in carrying out military and police duties and foreign relations. The administrative service was carried out by civil servants who were under military supervision.

Kedah

Japanese Governors

* 1941 – Mar 1942 Ojama * Mar 1942 – Oct 1943 Sukegawa Seiji (Seichi)

Thai Military Commissioner

* Oct 1943 – 1945? Pramote Chongcharoen

Thai General-commissioners

Administering Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu:Malay States
/ref> * 20 August 1943 – Oct 1943 Kamol Saraphaisariddhikan Chotikasathian * Oct 1943 – 1945? Chierlah Kamol Sribhaasairadhikavan Josikasarthien

Kelantan

Japanese Governors

* 1941 – 1943 Yasushi Sunakawan * 1943 – 20 August 1943 Kikura Fujisawa

Thai Military Commissioners

* 1943 – 1944 Charu Chaichan * 1944 – 1945 Tharin Rawang Phu

Terengganu

Japanese Governors

* Dec 1941 – 18 March 1942 .... * 18 March 1942 – Jul 1943 Manabu Kuji

Thai Military Commissioner

* 20 August 1943 – Aug 1945 Prayoon Ratanakit

Perlis

Japanese Governors

* 1941 – 1942 Ohyama Kikancho * Mar 1942 – 20 August 1943 Sukegawa Seiji (Osagawa)

Thai Military Commissioner

* 20 August 1943 – 8 September 1945 Charn Na Song Khram

References

External links

Malaysia – Thailand Boundary

The Land Boundaries of Indochina: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

{{coord, 6, 30, N, 100, 30, E, region:SEAsia_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title Former provinces of Thailand 1942 in Thailand 1942 in British Malaya South-East Asian theatre of World War II Military history of Thailand during World War II British Malaya Japan–Thailand relations History of Kedah History of Perlis History of Kelantan History of Terengganu British Empire in World War II British Malaya in World War II

History

Administration

Kedah

Japanese Governors

Thai Military Commissioner

Thai General-commissioners

Kelantan

Japanese Governors

Thai Military Commissioners

Terengganu

Japanese Governors

Thai Military Commissioner

Perlis

Japanese Governors

Thai Military Commissioner

See also

References

External links