Image: The Sumatra Railway Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1568298

Description: The Sumatra Railway Memorial Built by 5,000 prisoners of war and 30,000 locals, the 140-mile Sumatra railway was intended to move coal and troops across the island from Pakenbaroe on the north-east coast to meet up with an existing railway at Muaoro in the west of the island. The railway was completed on VJ Day, 15th August 1945. It was only ever used to transport POWs out of the area and then quickly became overgrown by the jungle. http://www.friendsofnma.org.uk/rail3.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1492191.stm On the right is the Far East Prisoners of War Memorial Building, which is a harrowing experience to visit and graphically reflects the failure of Japan to ratify the 1929 Geneva Convention. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Convention_(1929)
Title: The Sumatra Railway Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1568298
Credit: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Trevor Rickard
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License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
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