Romusha
The term romusha, literally a person (sha) on labor (ro) duty (mu), was widely used in Southeast Asia by Japanese occupying forces during World War II. Avoiding the pejorative term "coolie," Japanese authorities embarked on an intensive scheme of labor recruitment under the romu banner. Conceptions of local autarky and the requirements of the war effort heightened the need for labor, which was mobilized by the offer of wages, deception, and force.
At present, the term romusha is generally used to refer to forced labor in Indonesia, because of the exceptional intensity of Japanese labor mobilization there. In all areas of the Indonesian archipelago, but most intensively on Java, men were conscripted for labor on plantations, docks, and mines, and for the construction of defense works, railroads, and airstrips. Treatment was without exception harsh, and many died of exhaustion, inadequate medical treatment, and starvation. Most laborers were employed in areas close to their home villages, but about 225,000 Javanese romusha were shipped to other parts of the archipelago, and 69,000 elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
All countries of Southeast Asia under Japanese rule had their share of forced-labor conscription, with similar patterns of recruitment and employment at military constructions sites. One infamous site was the Burma-Thailand Railway, which was constructed by Allied prisoners of war and Asian romusha between November 1942 and October 1943. About 75,000 laborers were recruited in Malaya, from among Indian (Tamil) plantation laborers, but also from Malay villages. On the Burma side, some 85,000 Burmese laborers were employed, while laborers were also recruited in Thailand. The death rate of Asian laborers on the railroad was more than 35 percent.
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