Building the Siam-Burma Railway During World War-II

No subject created so much controversy during and after the Pacific was as the Japanese treatment of the Allied Prisoners of War (P.O.W.) in flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention. Whether it was due to the racial war carried out by the Japanese or was the outcome of the mistaken value of "Bushido" the question has never been resolved. The harsh and brutal treatment of the P.O.W. was fully demonstrated, when the Japanese decided to utilize them for the construction of Siam-Burma railway. Driven like slaves and with semi-starvation diet, the Allied P.O.W. were left with no stamina to fight tropical diseases. As a result thousands of them died while working on Siam-Burma Railway, which came to be known as "Railroad of Death". A fictional account of the sufferings of the Allied P.O.W. was made famous by Hollywood few years back in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai. In this book the Author has reproduced the original reports to present the factual details. It is hoped that these reports will be useful for the students studying the Japanese policy during the Second World War.