[Liang Jieming]

Huaqiao

Who are the KMT-Burma/Thailand?

Shortly after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941,
Chiang Kai-shek offered to the Allied Forces China's full cooperation
in the Southeast Asian theatre. He suggested that Chinese Nationalist
(KMT) troops should move into northern Burma to protect the vital
supply routes between Rangoon and Chungking. This offer was
accepted, and units of the 93rd Division of the KMT army based in
Yunnan moved south down the Salween Valley arriving in the Shan
State early in 1942 where, facing no immediate threat from Japanese
attack, dug in and settled down. This interlude however, was shattered
on May 3 1942, when Thai airforce planes bombed Kengtung as a
prelude to the arrival of the Japanese Northern Army. The Thais sent
27 aeroplanes, dropping bombs at a market where the Chinese troops
were barracked. The bombing caused the KMT to retreat from the
centre of Kengtung.

A few weeks later Thai infantry led by Field Marshal Pin Choonhavan
entered Kengtung and raised the Thai flag. The KMT soldiers withdrew
into the hills and forests surrounding Kengtung, whilst the Thais set up
a basic local administration in the city. Thailand's Northern Army
remained in occupation of Kengtung until Japan's unexpectedly swift
surrender following the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
in August 1945. With the surrender and departure of their Japanese,
the Thai army fled home, though some stayed on amongst the Shan,
marrying local women and settled down in Kengtung. The descendants
of these soldiers still live in Shan State today.

Elements of the KMT 93rd Division also stayed on, allying themselves
first with new Nationalist refugees fleeing China following the communist
seizure of power in 1949. After being driven out of Burma in 1956, they
eventually settled in the final base camp at Doi Mae Salong, in
Chiangrai Province, where they and their descendants remain to this
day.

[Yun]

The KMT descendants got involved in the drug trade in the Golden Triangle in order to survive - one of the most infamous drug lords of recent times, who surrendered to Thai authorities only a few years ago, was Khun Sa, a man of Chinese descent.

This KMT 'orphan army' was the subject of two popular films made in Taiwan in the early 1990s.

[Liang Jieming]

Yun, on Dec 14 2004, 11:40 AM, said:

The KMT descendants got involved in the drug trade in the Golden Triangle in order to survive - one of the most infamous drug lords of recent times, who surrendered to Thai authorities only a few years ago, was Khun Sa, a man of Chinese descent.

This KMT 'orphan army' was the subject of two popular films made in Taiwan in the early 1990s.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, this is the stuff of tragic/romantic novels. A whole army trapped in foreign lands, unable to return to their homes, left to survive on their own, unrecognised, unwanted and ignored by the rest of the world. Hehehehe I guess they could have been airlifted to Taiwan but even Taiwan is not their home, being just another place of exile. Besides, the KMT had helped maintain them on the Burmese/Thai border as a possible 2nd front if they ever invaded the mainland. That was then. Now they're all old men who'd intermarried with the locals. Interesting stuff huh?

Jieming

[hansioux]

Sign, ok, I didn't want to join this forum at all but seeing this topic I feel like I need to clear something up.

First of all, the 93 division has NOTHING to do with the current KMT left behind soldiers in Thailand.

During the World War II, Nationalist Army 23rd group's 93rd division, led by Tu Yu-Ming was responsible to keep the Burma road clear. During WWII even though Thailand declared neutural, however it was siding more with Japan. Japan actually got the Thai king to send an army to fight off the 93rd division, and the Thai lost and was driven back into Thai terrotory. That's why the 93rd division left such an impression for the Thai.

After World War II, most of the 93rd went back to China. Leaving behind only very few people who were either originally from South East Asia, or married someone so deciding to stay.

After the 1949 Civil War, what fled in to the unundecided terrotory between Myanmar and China was the left over forces of the 8th Army Group led by Li Mi, and the 26th Army Group led by Yu Cheng-Wan. Yu Cheng-Wan defected to the Communist. Li Mi later then flew to Taiwan, abandonning his troops.

The left over divisions of 26th Army who was betrayed by their leader was the 709 division, NOT the 93rd. In fact the 93rd was disolved after World War II.

When this army first got to Myanmar there was less than 2000 people. During this time, working with the Chinese immigrants, and local monority aboriginals, they grow to as big as 40,000 people in a land 3 times the size of Taiwan.

They defeated Myanmar army twice after the Communist given that piece of land to Myanmar, so this Nationalist army would no longer be their problem.

They also had major assault on China during the Vietnam war, with the CIA supporting weapons and food with the big silver planes with no markings on them. They sacked 3 counties but the American support stopped coming.

After the second Myanmese attack, which had recruited paid Indians army, the Myanmese went to the UN, and accussed KMT, which was still representing China at that time of invading their country. (Funny, because that's only according to their treaty with the PRC).

Bending to international pressure the KMT actually flown 30,000 people to Taiwan.

The rest didn't want to leave. Either they wanted a chance to go back to China or they wanted to stay where they were because they were used to it. However, by this time the Myanmese turned Communist, and they worked with the PRC and drove the Nationalist army, or what's left of them out of Myanmar.

Two major groups of the Nationlist army led to Thailand. The 3rd division and the 5th division. They live pretty far from each other. In the late 70s and early 80s, they helpped the Thai army and fought several battles against insrugence. The Thai government granted them the right to stay. These two armys who are still there in 滿星疊 and 戴美樂 in northern Thailand have nothing to do with the Opium.

I am not going to say that there weren't people from these Nationalist armies who desseted and joined the opium industry because they want their chance to be rich. But the armies themselves had strick rule against drugs. In fact people caught with drugs where shot on site, not to mention raising crops to sell them. They have been so many cases where soldiers lost their legs and someone from the army got drugs for them to ease their pain and were caught. They were shot by their crying officers.

In fact, large numbers of the minorities of these area joined the army.

They were:

Akah
Yao
Miao
Lahu (aka HeiLaHu, HanLahu)
Lisu

There were also the race of Shan in Myanmar who almost had a chance to declare their independence.

[Yun]

Thanks for clarifying and elaborating, Hansioux - and welcome to our forum! You may not have been interested in our discussions before this, but I do hope you'll come again.

[Liang Jieming]

Wow! Very interesting and indepth history of the KMT in Burma/Thailand! Thanks. I didn't really know what happened to the 93rd after WW2.

[hansioux]

Liang Jieming, on Jan 6 2005, 06:57 PM, said:

Wow!  Very interesting and indepth history of the KMT in Burma/Thailand!  Thanks.  I didn't really know what happened to the 93rd after WW2.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, I should be famous for my poor English due to lack of interest on proof reading XD

[TMPikachu]

*

This post has been edited by TMPikachu: 26 April 2006 - 11:23 AM

[ShuHan]

Wow, very indepth history of the KMT 3rd and 5th division and I saw the movies for these two division and it was a very sad movies.
I wish they did have a chance to return back to China and the d**** Communist.
Hansioux how do you know so much about this are you a descendent of KMT 3rh and 5th division.

[hansioux]

ShuHan, on Feb 4 2005, 04:08 PM, said:

Wow, very indepth history of the KMT 3rd and 5th division and I saw the movies for these two division and it was a very sad movies. 
I wish they did have a chance to return back to China and the d**** Communist.
Hansioux how do you know so much about this are you a descendent of KMT 3rh and 5th division.

No, but I have taken great intrest of those armies since I was in 5th grade. A lot of them are in a village next to 清境農場 in 南投 NanTou Taiwan.

When I was young, my nurse mom was a nationalist late immigrant, living a a school village full of them. There were people in there from these armies.

[ShuHan]

well, my father was influence when he was a young kid in Vietnam by nationalist teacher that taught them that one day KMT will take back China from PCR. Well, let just say everybody in here parents or themselves had been influence by the Chinese civil war.

[hanibal]

I appologise for bringing this old thread back to its life but I was wondering if anyone could recommend me any good book about the operations of the 93rd KTM Division in the Shan States in spring 1942, when the Thai rmy invaded this area?

[naruwan]

hanibal, on Feb 6 2006, 03:52 AM, said:

I appologise for bringing this old thread back to its life but I was wondering if anyone could recommend me any good book about the operations of the 93rd KTM Division in the Shan States in spring 1942, when the Thai rmy invaded this area?

In English you mean?

The Shan states weren't just in Thailand, a large portion of it was in Burma.

[hanibal]

Quote

In English you mean?The Shan states weren't just in Thailand, a large portion of it was in Burma.

Quote

I appologise for bringing this old thread back to its life but I was wondering if anyone could recommend me any good book about the operations of the 93rd KTM Division in the Shan States in spring 1942, when the Thai army [/b]invaded this area?

I didn't say they were in Thailand. I just said that in May 1942 Thailand respectively its army has attacked and occupied this area. I am looking for any info about the operations of the 93rd Chinese (Kuomintang) Division, which was defending this piece of Burma in spring 1942 against the Thai Army.

Better?

[naruwan]

hanibal, on Feb 6 2006, 01:29 PM, said:

I didn't say they were in Thailand. I just said that in May 1942 Thailand respectively its army has attacked and occupied this area. I am looking for any info about the operations of the 93rd Chinese (Kuomintang) Division, which was defending this piece of Burma in spring 1942 against the Thai Army.

Better?

Got it, so you are talking about the "actual 93rd division" instead of the KMT forces later mistaken for the 93rd.

部隊番號及指揮官：

中國達征軍第一路司令長官司令部司令長官衛立煌，未到任，由杜聿明代理，繼任羅卓英，
副司令長官杜聿明；

第五軍軍長杜聿明兼，第二百師師長戴安瀾、新二十二師師長廖耀湘、第九十六師師六余韶，游擊司令（即第五軍新兵訓練處）黄翔；

第六軍軍來甘麗初，第四十九師師長彭璧生、第九十三師師長呂國鍂、暫五十五師師長陳勉吾；第六十六軍軍長張軫，新三十八師師長孫立人、新二十八師師長劉伯龍、新二十九師師長馬維驥。

As you can see the 93rd is lead by 呂國鍂