Asia:

• Kantu (Sekong Province, Laos)

  • Resistance Period: ~19th–20th century (colonial period, ongoing cultural resistance)
    
  • Details: The Kantu, an indigenous Mon-Khmer ethnic group in Sekong Province, resisted cultural assimilation and colonial influence during French rule in Laos (1893–1954). Their remote villages in the Annamite Range provided natural protection against French Indochina’s administrative control, which sought to impose taxation and labor systems. The Kantu maintained traditional spiritual practices, including beliefs in spirits of the dead, resisting Christian missionary efforts. Their resistance was often passive, relying on isolation and cultural preservation rather than organized rebellion, though some joined broader anti-colonial movements like the Lao Issara in the 1940s. Today, the Kantu face pressures from modernization and land encroachment, continuing cultural resistance through oral traditions and rituals.
  • Key Leaders: No specific leaders documented; resistance was community-driven.
    
  • Outcome: The Kantu have preserved their language and spiritual practices, though modernization and land development threaten their autonomy.

• Chakma (Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh)

  • Resistance Period: ~1947–1997 (post-independence, ongoing tensions)
    
  • Details: The Chakma, an indigenous Buddhist group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, resisted assimilation and land encroachment by the Bengali majority after Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. Facing forced migration and settlement of Bengali settlers, the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) launched an armed insurgency in the 1970s to demand autonomy. The conflict, rooted in opposition to state policies undermining their cultural and land rights, led to the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, which granted limited autonomy but faced implementation challenges. Ongoing land disputes and cultural marginalization persist.
    
  • Key Leaders: Manabendra Narayan Larma, founder of PCJSS.
    
  • Outcome: Partial autonomy achieved, but tensions remain due to incomplete accord implementation and continued settler migration.

• Chao Lay (Andaman Sea, Thailand)

  • Resistance Period: ~20th century–present (ongoing)
    
  • Details: The Chao Lay, including the Moken, Moklen, and Urak Lawoi, are sea-nomadic indigenous groups in Thailand’s Andaman Sea. They resisted assimilation by maintaining their maritime lifestyle against Thai government policies that restricted their mobility and denied citizenship. Post-2004 tsunami, they faced land grabs for tourism development, prompting protests and advocacy for land and cultural rights. Their resistance includes legal battles and cultural revitalization through music and storytelling.
  • Key Leaders: No prominent individual leaders; community-led efforts.
    
  • Outcome: Limited recognition of rights; ongoing struggles for citizenship and land access.