Inter-state tensions in Southeast Asia
H2 History - syllabus 9174, 2027
Why Southeast Asian states quarrelled over Preah Vihear, Sabah, Malaysia and water, and how these tensions damaged and then shaped regional cooperation and security.
- Why tensions arose between Southeast Asian states
Tensions arose from colonial borders, rival territorial claims, historical animosities, national interests, the Cold War and resources. Most disputes combined several causes.
- Konfrontasi, 1963-1966
Indonesia opposed the creation of Malaysia with a campaign of raids and subversion. It ended when Suharto replaced Sukarno, and the reconciliation helped create ASEAN.
- The dispute over Sabah
The Philippines claimed Sabah through the rights of the Sultan of Sulu. The dispute strained relations with Malaysia and twice disrupted regional cooperation.
- The dispute over Preah Vihear
Thailand and Cambodia both claimed an ancient temple on their border. The International Court of Justice gave it to Cambodia in 1962, but the dispute fuelled lasting hostility.
- The Singapore-Malaysia water dispute
Singapore depended on water from Johor under agreements guaranteed at separation. Disputes over price and supply made water a source of tension and pushed Singapore towards self-sufficiency.
- Consequences for regional cooperation and security
Tensions wrecked early regional groupings, but managing them also pushed states towards ASEAN and its habits of restraint.
- Put it together: Map the tensions
Choose a dispute and identify what drove it.
What you will be able to do
I can judge why tensions arose between Southeast Asian states and how they affected the region.
Syllabus 9174, Paper 2, Theme III, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the causes and consequences of inter-state tensions on inter-state relations and the region
Taught in Why tensions arose between Southeast Asian states, Konfrontasi, 1963-1966, The dispute over Sabah, The dispute over Preah Vihear, The Singapore-Malaysia water dispute, Consequences for regional cooperation and security
Sources and context
Background reading for this chapter.
- An American estimate of the Malaysia plan
Paraphrase of a US Special National Intelligence Estimate, "Prospects for Malaysia", 20 February 1963.
- An American estimate of confrontation
Paraphrase of a US National Intelligence Estimate, "The Malaysian-Indonesian Conflict", 30 October 1963.
- Sukarno explains his position
Paraphrase of a telegram from the US Ambassador in Jakarta, Howard Jones, reporting a conversation with President Sukarno, 10 April 1964.
- Malaysia reacts to a Philippine plot over Sabah
Paraphrase of an intelligence note from the US State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research to Secretary of State Rusk, 26 March 1968.
- Cambodia explains its break with Thailand
Paraphrase of a US State Department record of a conversation with the Cambodian Ambassador, Nong Kimny, 1 December 1958.
- The separation agreement guarantees the water agreements
Paraphrase of section 14 of the Malaysian act annexed to the agreement on the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, signed on 7 August 1965 and registered in the United Nations Treaty Series.
- an American official on the Manila summit, August 1963
Extract from a memorandum from Roger Hilsman, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Washington, 2 August 1963, written while the leaders of Indonesia, Malaya and the Philippines were meeting in Manila. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XXIII, document 332. A US government document in the public domain.
- Washington talks to General Nasution, December 1963
Extract from a telegram from the State Department (signed by Secretary of State Rusk) to the US embassy in Indonesia, 7 December 1963, reporting talks in Washington with General Nasution, Indonesia's Defence Minister, during Konfrontasi. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XXIII, document 324. A US government document in the public domain.
- the President is briefed on the temple ruling, July 1962
Extract from a memorandum from Carl Kaysen, deputy national security adviser, to President Kennedy, Washington, 12 July 1962, and the volume editors' note on it. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XXIII, document 456. A US government publication in the public domain.
- the State Department on Indonesia's new course, June 1966
Extract from a State Department paper on Indonesia attached to a memorandum from Walt Rostow to President Johnson, Washington, 8 June 1966, a week after Indonesian and Malaysian delegations led by Adam Malik and Abdul Razak met in Bangkok. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, volume XXVI, document 210. A US government document in the public domain.
- a cartoon about the Manila summit, August 1963
An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of a regional newspaper cartoon published in August 1963, during and after the Manila summit of Indonesia, Malaya and the Philippines, which asked the UN Secretary-General to find out the wishes of the people of Sabah and Sarawak. It is not a copy of a real cartoon.