The construction of the railway between Thailand and Burma in the Second World War using forced labour and prisoners of war has been the subject of numerous memoirs, novels and the famous Hollywood film The Bridge over the River Kwai. Yet documentation and primary sources offering an account of the railway from a Japanese, Allied, POW and post-war perspective are scarce. This six-volume collection uses documents from archives in Australia, Great Britain, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the United States, Myanmar, Thailand and Japan to present a complete picture of the reality of the 'death' railway.

The continent of Australia has an ancient and modern history. Aborigines arrived at this continent an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 years ago, living a hunter-gatherer existence while developing unique ways to live and thrive on this land. That idyllic life ended in 1770 when the great British explorer James Cook discovered the continent. Just eighteen years later, in 1788, the First Fleet of convict ships from England established a colony at Botany Bay, near today's city of Sydney. The settlement grew and developed, while additional convict ships and settlers came to this continent to make a new home and life for themselves. As the number of settlers increased, there was a corresponding series of attacks on the Aborigines. Massacres took many lives, while European diseases for which the Aborigines had no immunity, decimated these ancient communities. I review this tragic interaction between these two diverse cultures which continues today. I also explore the Stolen Generation, the racist and genocidal policy of forcibly removing Aboriginal children from their parents and community, then giving these children to white parents to be raised in an atmosphere intolerant to the Aboriginal culture and history. An estimated 100,000 children were taken in this manner, remembered nationally and annually as Sorry Day. In addition, an estimated 500,000 white children were taken from parents and given to others. While forcibly negating and outlawing native cultures has taken place in many countries, where dominant values are identified as superior to the older and subjugated culture, the forcible removal of hundreds of thousands of white children from parents reflects a policy that begs to be examined in depth. I also review the establishment of a Royal Commission that examined sexual predatory attacks on children, both in the Roman Catholic Church, by diocesan and order priests (brothers) while these children were wards of these religious institutions by order of the federal government. I also explore the percentages of prelates who acted in this criminal manner. This issue has been faced in several other countries, with resulting questions regarding the role Catholic priests and their bishops have in teaching religious values while protecting their charges from sexual abuse. The Jewish community too has been charged in this scourge. Two religious schools in Melbourne were charged with knowledge of such attacks taking place in these schools but the rabbinic leadership neither reported the abuse to civil authorities nor made efforts to stop it. In this regard, I explore the Jewish law inhibiting such reporting to secular authorities. In fact, the historic and traditional Jewish community standard prefers to protect the predator and not protect the victimized child. This standard is gradually changing as progressive awareness is made into the corrosive atmosphere surrounding a victimized child and the enormous psychological and emotional costs endured by the child for the remainder of his or her life. The theme of sexual abuse is also present with regard to Malka Leifer. This woman was charged with over seventy counts of criminal behavior while having a senior administrative and teaching role in a leading ultra-Orthodox religious school for girls. She became a cause célèbre with international intrigue between Australia and Israel when she escaped Australian shores for refuge in Israel. Years of legal wrangling ensued, by many Israeli courts, including the Supreme Court, each examining the increasing furor if this woman should be extradited to face criminal charges in Australia. Malka Leifer was only recently returned to Australia, now finally awaiting has moment of facing her accusers in open court. This volume also reviews and analyzes each war Australians fought in, from the Second Boer War, First World War, Second World War, Korean and Vietnam Wars, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These conflicts culminated with the ANZUS Treaty, with a military cooperation agreement between the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The United States identified New Zealand as standing against the West when it promulgated its anti-nuclear zone. New Zealand identified with smaller Pacific island nations that condemned nuclear testing on remote Pacific islands and the resulting fallout with consequent health issues they face because of such testing. I was on the Holland American Grand Voyage while visiting Australian ports. I review the different Australian ports the Amsterdam came to, such as Darwin, Brisbane, and Sydney. I review each of these cities, both as the country developed and modernly, with these cities taking on more developed economic power.

Updated by popular demand, this is the fourth edition of this important bibliography. It lists a wide selection of works on or about Myanmar published in English and in hard copy since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, which marked the beginning of a new era in Myanmar’s modern history. There are now 2,727 titles listed. They have been written, edited, translated or compiled by over 2,000 people, from many different backgrounds. These works have been organized into thirty-five subject chapters containing ninety-five discrete sections. There are also four appendices, including a comprehensive reading guide for those unfamiliar with Myanmar or who may be seeking guidance on particular topics. This book is an invaluable aid to officials, scholars, journalists, armchair travellers and others with an interest in this fascinating but deeply troubled country.

The idea of connectivity is an integral part of regionalism in international trade and integration. The focus in this book is particularly on the so-called southern East - West Economic Corridor which consists of the connections between the southern part of Myanmar and the western part of the central region of Thailand. Between the Two Oceans of Indo-Pacific covers a diverse range of topics in the fields of geography, history, archaeology, international trade, tourism, migration and infrastructure for transport. This book is an effort to understand these for a better future for ASEAN as well as India. The findings of this book may help strengthen the ASEAN integration process on its way towards 2025.

The Pacific War is an umbrella term that refers collectively to a disparate set of wars, however, this book presents a strong case for considering this assemblage of conflicts as a collective, singular war. It highlights the genuine thematic commonalities in the legacies of war that cohere across the Asia-Pacific and shows how the wars, both individually and collectively, wrought dramatic change to the geo-political makeup of the region. This book discusses the cultural, political and social implications of the Pacific War and engages with debates over the war’s impact, legacies, and continuing cultural resonances. Crucially, it examines the meanings and significance of the Second World War from a truly international perspective and the contributors present fascinating case studies that highlight the myriad of localised idiosyncrasies in how the Pacific War has been remembered and deployed in political contexts. The chapters trace the shared legacy that the individual wars had on demographics, culture and mobility across the Asia Pacific, and demonstrate how in the aftermath of the war political borders were transformed and new nation states emerged. The book also considers racial and sexual tensions which accompanied the arrival of both Allied and Axis personnel and their long lasting consequences, as well as the impact returning veterans and the war crime trials that followed the conflict had on societies in the region. In doing so, it succeeds in illuminating the events and issues that unfolded in the weeks, months, and indeed decades after the war. This interdisciplinary volume examines the aftermaths and legacies of war for individuals, communities, and institutions across South, Southeast, and East Asia, Oceania, and the Pacific world. As such, it will be welcomed by students and scholars of Asian history, modern history and cultural history, as well as by those interested in issues of memory and commemoration.