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Romushas were Indonesian forced laborers during the Japanese occupation in World War II. The word is Japanese and translates to 'labourers', without the meaning of "forced".
The Japanese military made very extensive use of such forced labor during the construction of the Burma-Siam (Thailand) railway during 1942-43. The death rate among romusha, from atrocities, starvation-diet and disease, significantly outstripped the death rate among Allied prisoners of war. About half the forced laborers engaged on the railroad construction died.
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