The
South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the
Pacific War in
Burma,
Ceylon,
India,
Thailand,
Indochina,
Malaya and
Singapore. Purposes of the conquest of these countries included the securing of natural resources such as
rubber and
petroleum from the European colonies in the region. Conflict in the theatre began when the
Empire of Japan invaded
French Indochina in September 1940, the war went to a new level with the Raid on Pearl Harbor, and simultaneous attacks on Hong Kong, the Philippines,
Thailand, Singapore and
Malaya on 7/8 December 1941. The main landing at Singora (now
Songkhla) on the east side of the
Isthmus of Kra preceded the bombing of Pearl Harbor by several hours. Action in the theatre officially ended on 9 September 1945.