Sage-Tips

What is the Death Railway in Thailand?

Burma Railway
The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, the Siam–Burma Railway, the Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, is a 415 km (258 mi) railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma, built by prisoners of war of the Japanese from 1940–1944 to supply troops and weapons in the Burma campaign of World War …

What was the purpose of the Burma railway?

Burma Railway, also called Burma-Siam Railway, railway built during World War II connecting Bangkok and Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), Burma (Myanmar). The rail line was built along the Khwae Noi (Kwai) River valley to support the Japanese armed forces during the Burma Campaign.

Why is the Burma railway called the Death Railway?

The workers were maltreated, malnourished and exhausted, and as a result it’s thought that in excess of 100,000 people died during the construction of the railway – showing precisely why it came to be known as the Death Railway. It’s thought that one worker died for each wooden sleeper that was laid for the track.

What happened at the Thai Burma Railway?

From October 1942 to October 1943 the Japanese army forced about 60,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) – including 13,000 Australians and roughly 200,000 civilians, mostly Burmese and Malayans – to build a railway linking Thailand and Burma. About 2800 Australians died building the railway. …

How was the Thai Burma Railway built?

The railway was to run 420 kilometres through rugged jungle. It was to be built by a captive labour force of about 60,000 Allied prisoners of war and 200,000 romusha, or Asian labourers. They built the track with hand tools and muscle power, working through the monsoon of 1943.

How many British soldiers died on the Burma railway?

Forced labour was used in its construction. More than 180,000 Asian civilian labourers and 60,000 Allied prisoners of war worked on the railway. About 90,000 civilians and 12,621 Allied POWs died during the construction, includeing 6,904 British, 2,802 Australians, 2,782 Dutch, and 133 Americans.

What is the significance of the Burma Thailand Railway to Australian history?

The Burma-Thailand railway (known also as the Thailand-Burma or Burma–Siam railway) was built in 1942–43. Its purpose was to supply the Japanese forces in Burma, bypassing the sea routes which had become vulnerable when Japanese naval strength was reduced in the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway in May and June 1942.

How many Thai died in ww2?

5,569
Thailand suffered around 5,569 military deaths during the war, almost entirely due to disease. Deaths in combat included 150 in the Shan States, 180 on December 8, 1941 (the day of both the brief Japanese invasion and the failed British assault on the Ledge), and 100 during the brief Franco-Thai War.

What is the Siam Burma Death Railway?

Siam Burma Death Railway is a 2014 Singaporean documentary film written and directed by Kurinji Vendan about the Asian forced-laborers who worked on the Siam-Burma Death Railway during World War II .

Who built the Death Railway in Thailand?

The Death Railway line from Ban Pong in Siam (Thailand) to Ye in Burma (Myanmar) was built over 76 years ago by Prisoners of War (PoW) and slave labourers. Besides the Tamils, Chinese and Malays, a large group of Sikhs also worked on the infamous railway. At the beginning of the construction, about 50,000 Allied PoW were taken as slave labourers.

Why was the Burma-Thailand Railway built?

The Burma-Thailand railway (known also as the Thailand-Burma or Burma–Siam railway) was built in 1942–43. Its purpose was to supply the Japanese forces in Burma, bypassing the sea routes which had become vulnerable when Japanese naval strength was reduced in the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway in May and June 1942.

Why did the British separate Burma and Thailand in 1946?

On 16 January 1946, the British ordered Japanese POWs to remove a four kilometre stretch of rail between Nikki and Sonkrai. The railway link between Thailand and Burma was to be separated again for protecting British interests in Singapore.