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

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. It included the four northern states of

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...

Perlis Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...

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

, and

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith" ...

in British Malaya annexed 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 betwee ...

. The Thai authorities made Alor Setar the centre for the administration of the territory. Thailand administered the states as

Syburi Syburi ( th, ไทรบุรี; , 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 s ...

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

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

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

History

On 14 December 1941 General Plaek Phibunsongkhram, then Prime Minister of Thailand, signed a secret agreement with the Japanese Empire and committed the Thai armed forces to participate in the planned Burma Campaign. An alliance between Thailand and Japan was formally signed on 21 December 1941. On 25 January 1942, the Thai government, believing the Allies beaten, declared war on the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, 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 British Malayan 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 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 estimated populati ...

, between Phibunsongkhram and the Japanese ambassador, Teiji Tonbukami. Among the conditions found in the agreement it was 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

Kempeitai The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspecte ...

continued to be stationed in the four states. Rail services would be run by Thai officers only in Kelantan, while 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 p ...

, 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 BMA. On 1 April 1946 the former Thai-occupied states joined the Malayan Union.

Administration

1942 Japanese World War II Map of the Malay Peninsula and Singapore - Geographicus - Kamatchka-japanese-1940

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