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Three Pagoda Pass TPDC Decides to Rebuild Death Railway

Banyol Kin, IMNA
April 11, 2006

The Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) of Three Pagoda Pass has decided to start rebuilding the famous Death Railway from Thanthyuzayard in Burma to Three Pagoda Pass near the Thai border in the next six months.

The 60-mile railway was built by the Japanese with forced labor, many of whom died during the construction, leading to the name Death Railway, during the Second World War. It has not been used since then, but the Burmese military government announced plans to repair the railway on its side of the border last month to boost trade with Thailand .

The decision of the township to rebuild the railway was reached during an official meeting in Three Pagoda Pass from April 10 to 11. The objective of the meeting was to inspect the progress of government projects in the area.

Villagers, local businessmen, and government staff attended the first day of the meeting. In the night time, there was a closed door meeting with chief government officials. The last day's meeting involved general government departments, to reform the government staff positions.

The township also plans to finish a paved road about nine miles from Chaung Zone village to Three Pagoda Pass , which is part of the highway through Mon State to the Thai border, during the six-month period. In addition, they plan to build a water tower to supply Three Pagoda residents.

Also in the same meeting, the chairman of Karen State Peace and Development Council,

List of development in Three Pagoda Pass

U Khing Kyu who is based in Hpa-an, capital of Karen State, ordered government services to start Castor oil plantations as an alternative to gasoline. They decided that one government employee would be responsible for 200 plantations.

Regarding complaints about corruption in public service, the chairman said to the government employees: “You should not put money into your pocket from the development budget.”

Concerning the local authority's control of illegal trading, they confiscated 50 cows for trafficking to Thailand , and shut down three teak processing factories owned by Karen Peace Front, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and private companies. There are about 17 teak processing factories in Three Pagodas Pass.

Even though Khin Kyu has achieved many good things, he said he could not do anything about the toxic metallic chemical poisoning coming from a factory in Three Pagoda Pass because it does not fall within his political jurisdiction.

“If this pollution was part of my responsibility, I would shut it down today,” Khin Kyu said in the meeting.