Soviets announce pull-out from Manchuria
1 October 1945. The Soviet ambassador to China reports that the Soviet withdrawal from Manchuria will start immediately and be completed by the end of November. China’s Foreign Ministry replies that a Nationalist army ferried by a U.S. fleet will land at Dairen around 10 October.
Karen propose a different future for Burma
1 October 1945. A range of Karen groups begin a three-day mass meeting in Rangoon to discuss a ‘humble memorial’ that proposes a separate Karen state within the British Commonwealth, to be federated with Burma at a later date. Fears are also aired that the culture and identity of Burma’s ethnic minorities are threatened. Mindful of the savage repression that Karen suffered during wartime resistance to the Japanese occupation and its puppet Burman regime, Karen want to retain their licensed weapons. While prepared to work with the returning British governor, they feel neglected by the British despite their longterm loyalty. This gathering foreshadows the unproductive London meeting in 1946 and the Karen uprising in 1949.
Indonesian leaders safeguard revolution
1 October 1945. Despite General Christison’s de facto recognition of the new Republic, Sukarno and Hatta are concerned as SEAC troops begin imposing order in Jakarta. Their concerns are hardly lessened by the arrival from wartime exile in Australia of H.J. van Mook, the Lt. Governor-General of the Netherlands Indies. They thus sign a political testament transferring state power to veteran communist leader Tan Malaka in case they lose their ability to function as President and Vice President.