A ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Burma Railway, infamously known as the Death Railway, was held at the Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery on October 17.
The Mon State Chief Minister Dr Aye Zan, the Mon State Hluttaw Speaker Daw Tin Ei, ambassadors including the U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel, military attaches, embassy staff, veterans, and families of the fallen soldiers from 11 countries, which are the origin of the buried prisoners of war, attended the ceremony.
The British military attaché said the prisoners of war sacrificed their lives for the greatness of the world and the ceremony was held to remember and honor them.
The Japanese Empire built the railway in 1943 to support its army. This railway connected Thanbyuzayat Station in Myanmar with Bang Pong Station in Thailand. It was 258 miles (415 km) long and it was built within 13 months without any machines.
Between 180,000 and 250,000 civilian laborers and 61,000 prisoners of war were subjected to forced labor during its construction. Around 90,000 civilian laborers and 12,000 prisoners of war died. The railway was infamously known as the Death Railway due to the high number of deaths and it is said that a live was sacrificed for each railroad tie.
A war cemetery and a museum have been built in Thanbyuzayat in memory of the horrible incident.
