The Burma Railway is a 415 km railway between Ban Pong, Thailand, and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 by South East Asian civilians abducted and forced to work by the Japanese and a smaller group of captured Allied soldiers, to supply troops and weapons in the Burma campaign of World War II. It completed the rail link between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma.

At least 250.000 Southeast Asian civilians were subjected to forced labour to ensure the construction of the Death Railway and more than 90.000 civilians died building it, as did around 12.000 Allied soldiers. Most of the railway was dismantled shortly after the war. Only the first 130 kilometres of the line in Thailand remained, with trains still running as far north as Nam Tok. The construction of the Burma Railway is counted as a war crime committed by Japan in Asia

Below is a selection of photos taken during a visit to war cemetaries, war museum and a tour by train over a remaining bridge over the River Khwae on February 22 2009. Click on a small photo for a larger view, then select the next one with the cursor keys or the arrows on either side of the photo.