Burma Railway

E62618

The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, was a World War II Japanese-built rail line in Southeast Asia constructed with forced labor under brutal conditions, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of Allied prisoners of war and Asian civilians.

All labels observed (10)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II site
railway line
war crime site
alsoKnownAs Death Railway
linked to: Burma Railway

Thailand–Burma Railway
linked to: Burma Railway

Thai–Burma Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
associatedWarCrimeType forced labor
inhumane treatment of prisoners of war
connects Ban Pong
Thanbyuzayat
constructedBy Empire of Japan
linked to: Japan

Imperial Japanese Army
constructionEndDate October 1943
constructionMethod manual labor
primitive tools
constructionStartDate June 1942
countryAtConstructionStart British Burma
linked to: Burma (until 1937)

Thailand
estimatedDeaths over 100000 laborers
over 12000 Allied prisoners of war
tens of thousands of Asian civilians
featuredIn film "The Bridge on the River Kwai"
novel "The Bridge on the River Kwai"
governedByDuringConstruction Japanese occupation authorities
laborConditions brutal
malnutrition
overwork
physical abuse
tropical diseases
length about 258 miles
about 415 kilometres
locatedIn Burma
linked to: Myanmar

Myanmar
Southeast Asia
Thailand
memorialSite Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery
notableSection Bridge on the River Kwai
Hellfire Pass
operatedBy Japanese military authorities
partOf Pacific War
World War II
postwarStatus partially dismantled
partially preserved as a memorial
partially preserved as a working railway
purpose to improve supply lines between Thailand and Burma
to support Japanese military operations in Burma
usedForcedLabor Allied prisoners of war
Asian civilian laborers
romusha

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (27)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Railway Man depicts Burma Railway
Burma Railway alsoKnownAs Death Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Burma Railway alsoKnownAs Thai–Burma Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Burma Railway alsoKnownAs Thailand–Burma Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Eric Lomax heldIn Burma–Thailand railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Eric Lomax basedOnExperience Burma–Thailand railway prisoner-of-war camps
linked to: Burma Railway
8th Australian Division notablePOWExperience Thai–Burma Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Ban Pong wasKeyRailJunctionFor Burma Railway
Ban Pong wasStartingPointOf Burma Railway
Thanbyuzayat historicalSignificance World War II Burma Railway terminus
linked to: Burma Railway
Thanbyuzayat railwayLineTerminusOf Burma Railway
Thanbyuzayat railwayLineTerminusOf Death Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Thanbyuzayat connectedByRailTo Thanbyuzayat–Three Pagodas Pass section of Burma Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Thanbyuzayat historicalEvent construction of Burma Railway 1942–1943
linked to: Burma Railway
Bridge on the River Kwai partOf Burma Railway
Bridge on the River Kwai associatedWith Thai–Burma Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Hellfire Pass partOf Thai–Burma Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Hellfire Pass partOf Death Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery associatedWith Death Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery associatedWith Death Railway
linked to: Burma Railway
Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum locatedOn former Burma Railway route
linked to: Burma Railway
The Bridge on the River Kwai settingPlace Burma Railway
Richard Flanagan hasWrittenAbout Burma–Thailand railway
linked to: Burma Railway