Thanbyuzayat in Mawlamyine, Mon State, Burma (Myanmar) — မြန်မာ (Southeast Asia)
The Burma-Thailand Japanese Death Railway Began Here
1942 – 1943
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the The Thailand-Burma Railway series list.
Location. 15° 57.35′ N, 97° 43.79′ E. Marker is in Thanbyuzayat, Mon State, in Mawlamyine. Marker is on Thanbyuzayat-Ye Highway (National Route 8). It is on the grounds of the Death Railway Museum, between the museum building and the railroad tracks. Touch for map. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. When Japan entered World War II in 1939, it rapidly seized British and Dutch possessions in Southeast Asia including British Burma and British Malaya. It established
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Google Maps 360 degree photograph showing the marker in its surroundings. (Submitted on July 16, 2023.)
2. The Burma Side. Article by JJ Karwacki, Colonel (Retired) U.S. Army Medical Corps and Life Member of VFW Post 9951, Bangkok. This page includes photographs of the Burma portion of the railway. Excerpt:
The Burmese portion of the Thai-Burma Railway was under the command responsibility of the Japanese Army Railway #5 HQ group. In many ways this area mirrored that on the longer Thai side. On each end of the line the first 50 or so km ran over flat open terrain over which rails were laid fairly easily and quickly.(Submitted on July 16, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)
The mountainous area thatforms the Thai-Burma border presented many of the same problems for the engineers on both sides. The primary difference being that there was a more gradual rise into the mountains on the Burmese side that did not require the switch-backs as in the Hintok area of Thailand. Logistics on both sides of the border were always an issue; except that Burmese-side relied solely on overland transport of goods while the Thai-side had the luxury of the river.By Khun Win Naung (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons, November 15, 20172. Myanmar Thailand Japanese Death Railway Historical MarkerThis view is south. The Death Railway Museum building is out of frame on the right. Operational railroad tracks are out of frame on the left.
All of the Burmese rivers ran north to south across the path of the railway. This required the building of four of the largest bridges on the railway in Burma. The U.S. POWs participated in the construction of some of these.
Additional commentary.
1. One Life, One Sleeper
A sign outside of the Death Railway Museum in Thanbyuzayat, visible on Google Maps images of where this historical marker is located, reads “One life, one sleeper” in both English and Burmese. Those words imply with horrible clarity that perhaps the number of crossties (sleepers) laid during the construction of the Burma-Thailand Railroad connection is equal to the number of laborers that died building it. These four words explain very
Photo by unknown Japanese photographer in the collection of the Australian War Memorial, circa 1943
3. Building a Bridge at Ronsi, Burma
Prisoners of war building a bridge on the Burma-Thailand railway at Ronsi, approximately sixty kilometres south of Thanbyuzayat, or 354 kilometres north of Nong Pladuk.
That 415-kilometer railroad connection that was begun in 1942, simultaneously southward from here in Thanbyuzayat and northward from Nong Pladuk in Thailand, was built by the Imperial Japanese Army Engineering Corps in 17 months.
To build this railroad line, the Japanese Army conscripted 250,000 or more Asian laborers from Burma, British Malaya, Java and other occupied lands, and added some 60,000 British, Dutch, Australian and American prisoners of war to work alongside the conscripts. Working around the clock through dangerous and disease-ridden jungles and mountains in 18-hour shifts, they moved 7 million cubic meters of earth and rock with simple hand tools and dynamite, and built 6 steel and 630 timber bridges.
Work was brutal forced labor, harsh punishment for insignificant infractions or none at all, meager rations that led to starvation, and injuries and disease with little medical attention. More than 100,000 Asian laborers (the Rǒmusha) died and more than 12,000 British, Dutch, Australian, and American prisoners of war died constructing and maintaining this rail line. In fact an average of 155 Rǒmusha and POWs died for each kilometer constructed. Not quite one death per sleeper (crosstie) laid, but still an unconscionable loss of life.
Photo by unknown Japanese photographer in the collection of the Australian War Memorial, circa 1943
4. Funeral of a Prisoner of War, Buried Trackside, near Ronsi, Burma
Funeral of a prisoner of war who died during the construction of the Burma-Thailand railway. Ronsi is approximately sixty kilometres south of Thanbyuzayat, or 354 kilometres north of Nong Pladuk.
The Burma-Thailand Railway link was truly a significant engineering feat, but built at an appalling cost in human life. It operated for only 21 months. It was ordered dismantled after the war to protect British shipping interests.
— Submitted July 16, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
Additional keywords. LonSi RonSi
Photo by unknown Japanese photographer in the collection of the Australian War Memorial, circa 1943
5. Thanbyuzayat Station, circa 1943
This was the railroad station at the Burma end of the Burma-Thailand railway where it connected to the existing Burma Railway system’s Moulmain-Ye line.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 16, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 294 times since then and 90 times this year. Last updated on July 19, 2023, by Jj Karwacki of Tha Maka, Kanchanaburi. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 16, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
