During World War Two, the war came to Thailand, the Japanese fighting the Allied forces, different parts of Thailand were occupied by the different sides. This story comes from a town near Mae Hong Son Thailand called Khun Yuam, which is more famous for its farming and Sunflower festival.
A soldier was stationed at Khun Yuam part of a medical unit caring for the casualties of the war. The soldiers interacted with the local people and like many other parts that was affected by war love blossomed between one of the soldiers and a local girl.
Toward the end of the war the unit moved too Burma and when the war ended the soldier came back to Khun Yuam and renewed the love he had started before he was sent away. Not having a passport due to him being a soldier, he needed to get a passport in order to marry his love but not having any money the head man, the family and the village raised money to send the soldier to Bangkok to get a passport.
Months and months went by and he did not return, the girl's brother waited day and night at the town limits to see if he would return. In the end the head man, the girls father and her raised more money to go to Bangkok to see what had happened to the soldier but he never made it to Bangkok.
The family waited and waited for any word on the soldier but nothing, the girl never married her sweetheart and there was no word about the soldier.
The soldier from Japan was never heard of again.
The story may not be the full exact version but from my understanding of broken Thai this is the best I can do.
The Khun Yuam town has a museum dedicated to the local people and the Japanese that occupied the town during the War. It is called Thai Japanese Friendship Memorial Hall. The Japanese Government provide money for th up keep of the museum and in the town.
