ASIAN DEATH RAILWAY GROUP THAILAND
DEDICATION OF A MEMORIAL TO THE FORCED LABOR ON THE THAI-BURMA RAILWAY
Location:
Chedi Niranam Wat Thaworn Wararam, Thawornwitee Road, Kanchanaburi 71000
Wednesday 1 May 2024
Service commences 10:00 am, Please be Seated by 9:45am
ORDER OF CEREMONY
- MC: PLEASE BE SEATED
Welcome:
Sawadee Khrup tuk Than
Selamat Pagi, dan selamat datang ke majlis kami
காலை வணக்கம்
Kālai vaṇakkam
மற்றும் எங்கள் விழாவிற்கு வரவேற்கிறோம்
Maṟṟum eṅkaḷ viḻāviṟku varavēṟkiṟōm
Good morning and welcome to our ceremony today
This ceremony and the provision of the Hero Stone has been organized by the tireless efforts of the Malaysians and Indians in Bangkok (MIB) group, especially their chairman Dr Silva Kumar.
MC:
Declaration
We are assembled here today
Many different ethnicities, from many different countries, speaking many different languages, and of many different faiths/religions;
But united together, in our resolve to remember, and pay tribute to all those used as forced labor on the Thai Burma railway during World War II.
We seek to acknowledge the events of that time, the enormous suffering of the forced labor, and for so many of them, the loss of life itself.
By dedicating this memorial today, we seek to commit ourselves to ensuring that the knowledge and memory of their labor and suffering is never forgotten, in the hope that the horrors of those times are never repeated.
Opening Prayers
We gather today at Chedi Niraman – which we could translate as a ‘monument to the unknown’.
In a vault beneath this structure are the remains of at least 10,000 Asian laborers who were forced by the Japanese to build the Thai-Burma (Death) Railway. The vast majority were Tamils from Malaya; some were ethnic Chinese from Malaya or Singapore. These remains were discovered during construction work in the 1950s and were collected by the temple of Wat Thaworn Wararam over a decade, and incorporated into this Chedi.
For the longest time, their story has been largely unknown, but today we re-start that process of formally recognizing their existence, their suffering, and their plight, so that all, and future generations to come, will know their story.
We do not know your name
We do not know your home
Nor the promises broken
Nor the tears that were cried, for you were once a mother’s son
She must have waited patiently for some word from you and for your safe return that never came
We do not know your fears that have for so long been unspoken
But we know that your spirit exists
That your suffering is remembered
By each soul that is inspired by our actions today
I now invite
The Governor of Kanchanaburi Province
Governor Thanaporn Prommahit
To contribute
I now invite the
Ambassador of Malaysia to Thailand
His Excellency Datuk Jojie Samuel
To contribute
MC
Today we seek to erect and dedicate a monument a “Nadukal’ which we can translate as a ‘Hero Stone’ to ensure recognition of their plight, and to serve as a centre of education to those unfamiliar with the history of the forced labor of Malayans during the construction of the railway.
Its design, depicting the Lord Shiva in a meditative pose was chosen as a symbol intended to offer solace to the families of those who perished during the war, and provide hope for future generations.
I ask you now to commit to the remembrance of them
We will remember them
At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter
At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring
We will remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn
We will remember them.
At the rising of the sun and at its setting
We will remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now part of us
As we remember them.
Unveiling the Nadukal (Religious ceremony).
Presentation by the Ambassador of Malaysia to Thailand of awards to distinguished guests.
MC
When you leave here shortly, I hope that, like me, you will do so with a real sense of having shared in something special, in our memories and recognition of the forced labor of the Thai Burma Railway.
I bid you, go now, in Peace and Remembrance of our acts today.
End of the Commemoration Service
Group Photographs
Light refreshments are available
Notes:
History:
Taken from the New Straits Times “Hero Stone for the forgotten victims of Death Railway”:
As the train chugs through the Tham Krasae wooden trestle bridge, visitors click away on their cameras and mobile phones, capturing one of the most scenic highlights of the infamous “Death Railway” between Thailand and Myanmar.
Today, the bridge stands as a colossal tourist draw, attracting millions of visitors every year.
However, the immense suffering endured by Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and Asian forced labourers, also known as “Romusha” in Japanese, during the construction of the 415-km Thailand-Burma Railway, as it was called then, remains largely unseen.
No one knows the exact number of people who died building the Death Railway, but estimates suggest some 100,000 perished, including roughly 12,000 Allied POWs and tens of thousands of Romushas, who were recruited by force to work under the same horrific and deadly conditions.
Dr Silva Kumar, Chairman of Malaysians and Indians in Bangkok (MIB), highlighted the long-forgotten plight of Asian forced labourers who endured harsh conditions constructing the railway under the Japanese Occupation during World War II.
“This prompted MIB’s initiative to install a hero stone in Kanchanaburi, honouring those who perished. Their (Asian forced labourers) contributions and sacrifices should never be forgotten. This project aims to bring a sense of closure to the families who lost their loved ones during this dark chapter in history,” he told Bernama.
Silva said many forced labourers under the deceptive “Romusha” system were lured with promises of good income before being transported to Thailand for the railway’s construction.
“My father, like many others, was lured by false promises and forced into labour. As a young man, he was assigned cooking and menial tasks, which included the grim duty of removing deceased prisoners of war and forced labourers for burial or cremation,” he said.
Obtaining permission proved to be the most significant hurdle, he said.
“For about five years, MIB, with the strong support of the Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand, Datuk Jojie Samuel, has been working to secure permission for the presentation of this memorial in Kanchanaburi.
The exact number may never be known, but according to researcher and historian Rod Beattie in his book, The Thai-Burma Railway: The True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai, an estimated 75,000 Indians from Malaya participated in the railway’s construction, of whom approximately 42,000 perished.
Through this initiative, Silva hoped to achieve two goals: first, to grant recognition that has been withheld for 80 years, and second, to educate those unfamiliar with the history about the forced labour of Malayans during the construction of the railway.
Silva said the hero stone, crafted from granite quarried in Namakal and crafted in Madurai, India, stands at 2.5-m tall, 1.5-m wide and weighs nearly three tonnes will be installed at Chedi Niranam within Wat Thaworn Wararam.
Website : Asian Forced Laborers
With Thanks to the many supporters who have assisted in this project over the last 5 years and especially to:
Dr. J.J. Karwacki, COL(ret) US ARMY Medical Corps
Prof. David Bogett, Professor Emeritus at Kyoto Seika University
Mr. Ramesh DharmaRajan- Thailand Tamil Sangam President
Mr. Elangovan Govindasamy
Where to find the memorial: