Siam-Burma Death Railway (film)

Siam Burma Death Railway Documentary Film
Siam Burma Death Railway Documentary Film
Directed by Kurinji Vendan
Produced by Nadodigal Creations
Written by Kurinji Vendan
Music by Aravind Sithartha
Cinematography Raj Sankar
Edited by Krishna Kumar
Production
companies
Jai Studio
Release dates
Running time
 65 minutes
Country Singapore
Language English
Tamil
Budget SGD 55,000 (est)

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.

Documentary

The Siam–Burma railway did not traverse benign terrain. It snaked through dark, deep valleys, climbed high mountain ranges and lengthy mountain passes, crossed great rivers and inhospitable rain forests.

This is a documentary film about the Asian laborers (Malaysian Tamils, Burmese, and Javanese) who worked like slaves on the Siam (Thailand)–Burma death railway line during World War II. The names of many of them remain unknown to the world. The books and memoirs written by Australian and British POWs are our primary sources documenting the lamentable history of the use of forced labor by the Japanese Army. Allied POWs suffered greatly also. Dressed in loincloths, they resembled living skeletons. They looked pitiable as they were affected by skin diseases. Unable to withstand the sufferings, many of them died.

Plot

This documentary film opens with World War II war between the Allied forces, comprising America – Australia – Netherlands, under the leadership of Great Britain, fought against the Axis countries of Germany – Japan and Italy. One super-power, Japan, had been waiting for a long time, expecting an opportunity to realise its plan of creating a 'Greater Asia'. Japan’s plan was to extend its empire to include Singapore, Malaya, Thailand and Burma up to India. On 8th Dec 1941, Singapore fell at the hands of Japan, which had begun the war in the name of Asian independence. Immediately, Japan decided to carry out its plans of creating a Greater Asia, basically an area under Japanese control. As a first step, Japan planned to lay the Siam – Burma railway line connecting Siam(i.e., Thailand) and Myanmar.

The Siam–Burma railway did not traverse benign terrain. It snaked through dark, deep valleys, climbed high mountain ranges and lengthy mountain passes, crossed great rivers and inhospitable rain forests. On 22 June 1942, the work of laying the railways began from Kanchanapuri, about 80 km away from Thailand’s capital Bangkok and Thanbyuzayat about 55 miles away from Moulmein, a major city of south Burma. About 60,000 prisoners of war of Allied Forces guided by 12,000 Japanese engineers, began the work of laying the railway line for about 415 km.

After a few weeks, the Japanese army realized it needed millions of people to complete the project. The Japanese army was prepared to use dangerous methods to make the dream come true. Thousands of Indian Tamil and Burmese labourers working in the Malay rubber estates caught their attention and they were brought to Thanbyuzayat, with a promise of higher wages and comfortable stay. The labourers built wooden bridges in many places across river Kwai in order to lay the railway. The bridges were washed by the floods in the river. The labourers were forced to reconstruct the bridges. The labourers were fed with rice thrice a day, along with dried fish or murrel from the river.

The conditions endured by the POWs of the Allied Forces were worse. Dressed in loin clothes they looked like skeletons. They looked pitiable as they were affected by skin diseases. Unable to withstand the sufferings many of them died. The Japanese army buried them near the railway line and planted a cross bearing their names. It is a fact that no words can describe the manner in which the Japanese army treated the dead and the dying.

On 16 October 1943 both the lines met at a place called 3 Pagoda on the Siam-Burma frontier. The railway line measured about 300 km in Siam and 115 km in Burma. The Japanese army celebrated the valediction like a festival. They indulged in entertaining themselves with feasts and merry-making.

August 6, 1945 is the last scene of this full length tragic movie about this episode in the Second World War. The Japanese industrial city of Hiroshima was bombarded by the USA on that day. The deeds of Japan were brought to an end with that incident. The POWs of the Allied Forces were released from all over the world. Once again the British flag flew high in the Singapore sky. The Japanese army stood silent in answer to the allegations of the court of war crime investigations. After listening to thousands of witnesses many of the officers and soldiers were branded as war criminals and were hanged to death.

The number of Asian labourers who lost their lives building the Death railway is estimated to be more than 100,000. According to the statistical data, the number of Tamil labourers who died during the construction should be about 60,000 and Burmese 30,000 in number. But researchers of World War II are of the opinion that the exact number of Asian labourers who died at the Death Railway is known only to the Japanese government.

Release

This documentary movie was released and screened in Paris on 5 July 2014. Subsequently released in London on 13 July 2014.

Malaysia release will be on 12 Oct 2014.

Production

The team filming this documentary devoted nearly 10 years to unraveling the hidden facts about the death railway. The film focuses on the "survivors", those who worked the railway and lived to bear witness to the historical reality of this enduring atrocity.

A principal source of this documentary’s strength are the views of researchers Dr David Boggett, Emeritus Professor, Kyoto University, Japan; Mr Rod Beattie, Director, Thai-Burma Railway Museum, Thailand, and Professor M. Annamalai, India.

Nadodigal Creations Team
Release of Siam-Burma Death Railway, Paris
After screeing SIAM BURMA DEATH RAILWAY documentary film to Mr. Vaiko, Chennai
SIAM BURMA DEATH RAILWAY film release in Malaysia
SIAM BURMA DEATH RAILWAY film release in Pondicherry
SIAM BURMA DEATH RAILWAY film release in Pondicherry - DINAMALAR
SIAM BURMA DEATH RAILWAY film release in Singapore

References

    Awards and Nominations

    Release News

    Classification

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