Colonial borders put many peoples inside one state. Governments needed to build a shared identity, and some groups wanted to break away.
Colonial rulers drew borders for their own convenience. Independent states inherited many ethnic, language and religious groups. Indonesia had hundreds of ethnic groups spread across thousands of islands.
Colonial rule also brought in many migrants. In Malaya, Chinese and Indian migrants and their families made up about half the population at independence. Chinese traders and businesses were important across the region.
Some minorities never accepted rule from the new capital. In Burma, the Karen began an armed rebellion in 1949, and groups such as the Kachin and Shan followed. Muslims in the southern Philippines and southern Thailand felt shut out by Christian and Buddhist majorities.
Separatist movements grew. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fought for a Muslim homeland in Mindanao from the early 1970s. In Indonesia, the Free Aceh Movement was founded in 1976, and East Timor resisted Indonesian rule after the invasion of 1975.
Unity mattered for peace, growth and defence. Governments feared that enemies, including communists, could exploit divisions.
- Karen rebellion
- From 1949.
- MNLF
- Fought for a Muslim homeland in Mindanao from the early 1970s.
- Aceh
- Free Aceh Movement founded in 1976.
Worked example: Explaining the need for unity
Why did governments make unity a priority?
- Diversity: many groups inside colonial borders.
- Immigrant communities: Chinese and Indians in Malaya and Singapore.
- Separatism: armed movements in Burma, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.
- Security: divisions could be exploited by enemies.
Watch out for this
Ethnic conflict in Southeast Asia was natural and unavoidable.
Many conflicts grew from colonial borders and from policies after independence that shut minorities out. Policies could ease or worsen them.
Check your understanding
Why did the Karen and other groups rebel in Burma?
- They did not accept rule by a government dominated by the Burman majority.
- They wanted Burma to rejoin the British Empire.
- They were communist parties from China.