We Remember YOU ROMUSHA 415km

Title: WE WILL REMEMBER YOU… ROMUSHA! Produced by: Amigo Divine Tunes Lyrics and Music by: Amigo Sockalingam Special Dedication: To Asian Forced Laborers Supported by: MIB – Malaysians and Indians in Bangkok Beneath this obelisk lies a vault holding the remains of over 10,000 Asian forced laborers, known as Romusha. These men were brought here during World War II, many dying in camps and hospitals near the Thai-Burma Railway. After post-war development uncovered their graves, the temple community reburied them, marking the site with the “Grave of 10,000 Souls” in 1957. Known as Chedi Niranam—the grave of the anonymous—this monument stands as a solemn reminder of untold suffering and sacrifice During WWII, tens of thousands of Asian forced laborers—Romusha—were brought to Kanchanaburi to build the 415 km Thai-Burma Railway. The largest group were Tamil-Indians from Malaya, alongside Allied POWs. While about 61,000 POWs worked on the railway, between 250,000–500,000 Romusha were forced into labor, suffering a death rate nearly double that of the POWs. After the railway’s completion in 1943, survivors were consolidated into camps near Kanchanaburi, where many later perished. The cremains buried beneath the obelisk belong to these anonymous Romusha workers. Most of the Romusha were Tamils, joined by smaller groups of Javanese, Singaporean Chinese, and Vietnamese. Unlike Allied POWs, they had no cemeteries—many were cremated in mass fires, often without records, due to Japanese fears of cholera. Deaths continued daily in camps and hospitals, with bodies buried in shared graves. Even after WWII ended, the Romusha were abandoned, forced to survive or trek home on their own, often for months. Decades later, descendants and community leaders sought to honor them, adding a plaque in Malaysia and renovating the shrine in 2025 to preserve their story. MIB—Malaysians Indians in Bangkok—was born during the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2021 as Hands That Serve, a small group distributing meals to the poor on Silom Road. With support from Tamil Sangam volunteers, it grew into a community effort serving up to 100 meals every weekend. As life returned to normal post-COVID, MIB shifted focus to new projects. For me, as the son of a first-generation Indian immigrant taken to Thailand during WWII to work on the Thai-Burma Railway, the memory of the Romusha—Asian Forced Laborers—was deeply personal. – Dr. Silva Kumar - MIB In November 2021, MIB members honored the Romusha at Don Rak war cemetery and were introduced to Dr. JJ Karwacki, whose research confirmed that the nearby temple obelisk—Chedi Niranam, the grave of the anonymous—held the remains of Romusha who died in Kanchanaburi after the railway’s completion. With the Abbot’s approval, MIB began fundraising in 2024 to renovate and re-dedicate the monument to the Tamils who formed the majority of the Romusha. On May 1, 2024, a large ceremony was held to dedicate the new Nadukal memorial stone. www.afl-mib.org