Earl Forbes, courtesy of The Ceylankan, vol. 59/3 August 2012
World War II (the War) ended in August 1945. For nearly six years the world was thrown into hitherto unseen turmoil and carnage, culminating in decimation at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The United States of America emerged from the War relatively unscathed. Other than the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the war was not fought in the United States or its Territories. Europe was badly battle scarred and had to redraw its boundaries and reconstruct as a first priority. But more so than anywhere else, the big picture was soon to change radically in Greater Asia. In 1947, India gained Independence from Britain. Very early in the next year, Sri Lanka followed attaining independent status on 4th February 1948. Singapore and Malaysia were now free of Japanese occupation and moving towards greater self-government and independence from Britain. Indonesia unilaterally declared independence after nearly 300 years of Dutch rule; and so history making events occurred, one after another.
Post World War II — Australia’s population strategy: Australia had just come out of the War and, despite being on the winning side, there was an air of apprehension about. There was the realisation that a vast country, with a wealth of natural resources and a relatively small population, was an easy target for any predatory power. The Japanese had displayed their imperialistic ambitions during the War. They had been in Papua New Guinea; on Australia’s doorstep. Also, home soil, (viz. Darwin) had been under air attack. The Japanese were defeated but other predators in the region were about. The all important question was: “how was Australia to meet such a threat in the long term”? Continue reading
