Table of Contents
How many people died building the Thai Burma Railway?
Between 180,000 and 250,000 civilian labourers and over 60,000 Allied prisoners of war were subjected to forced labour during its construction. During the railway’s construction, around 90,000 Southeast Asian civilian forced labourers died, along with more than 12,000 Allied prisoners.
Why did the Japanese want to build the Burma Railway?
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 Australians survived the Thai Burma Railway?
six survived
Unfortunately it was not the most lethal place to be a prisoner of the Japanese during the war. Of the 532 Australians captured on Ambon Island, nearly 80 per cent died. Of the 2500 Australian and British POWs sent to the camp at Sandakan in Borneo in 1942, only six survived, all Australians.
What did the Japanese do to the Burmese?
In 1942, Japan invaded Burma and nominally declared the colony independent as the State of Burma on 17 May 1942. A puppet government led by Ba Maw was installed. However, many Burmese began to believe the Japanese had no intention of giving them real independence.
Is the bridge over the river Kok still there?
Unfortunately, the bridge was then taken down after the filming even though we asked for it to remain in place as it was an excellent facility for the local people. The bridge was not built over the Kok, but over the Fang River which flows into the Kok, for a number of reasons.
How many people died on the Burma–Thailand Railway?
Of these, 111 were convicted and 32 executed specifically for crimes committed on the Burma–Thailand Railway. More than 20 per cent of Australian prisoners working on the railway died. Unfortunately it was not the most lethal place to be a prisoner of the Japanese during the war.
What happened to the Australian POWs in Borneo?
Of the 2500 Australian and British POWs sent to the camp at Sandakan in Borneo in 1942, only six survived, all Australians. The Japanese moved Allied prisoners, including Australians, around the region on what became known as ‘hell ships’.
Who was involved in the construction of the Thailand Railway?
On the Thailand Railway by Harold Abbott 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.
What happened to the prisoners of the railway camps?
The prisoners’ sufferings on the railway have come to epitomise the ordeal of Australians in captivity. The railway camps produced many victims, but also heroes who helped others to endure, to survive, or to die with dignity.