Two Dutchmen march down Death Railway as a tribute
Death Railway
On January 1, the Algemeen Dagblad website featured a story about Emiel Garstenveld from Groenlo, who is making a march along the 450-kilometre Burma Railway with his companion Jesse Jordens.
They started the march last Friday with a pack of 25 kilos and want to cover about 25 kilometers a day, so that they will arrive at the end point at the end of January, including rest days.
The idea for a march along the railway line that the Japanese had built during the Second World War with the help of hundreds of thousands of forced laborers came to Emiel, because he thinks it is “super important” to pay more attention to the Second World War. "Many people, especially young people, don't stop to think what it took to live in freedom now, to be able to express your own opinion on the internet, for example."
With the expedition through Thailand and Burma, he hopes, through the vlogs and photos that he and Jesse post on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, to get young people interested again in the black history of the "Death Railway". “I feel that history has sunk a bit for many and I have to say that I didn't know much about it before this trip. Which young person remembers, for example, that about 3.000 Dutch prisoners of war died during the construction of the railway?
Read the full story of the Algemeen Dagblad at: www.ad.nl/
Follow the journey of Emiel and Jesse on Facebook, the link is: www.facebook.com/hikingaroundtheworldofficial
The bridge was recreated and filmed in Sri Lanka for the film "The bridge over the river Kwai" by David Lean.
In itself a good idea with the right motivation, were it not for the fact that the railway has largely 'disappeared'.
Also, the 3 Pagoda Pass is not accessible for foreigners to cross the border….
This could turn out to be a tough one I'm afraid.