Surrounded 1000 Japanese soldiers fled into mangrove swamps to escape British forces. Is it true that only 20 made it out alive?

Surrounded 1000 Japanese soldiers fled into mangrove swamps to escape British forces. Is it true that only 20 made it out alive?

In February 1945, around 1,000 Japanese soldiers were trapped on Ramree Island off the coast of Burma during World War II. British and Indian forces had surrounded them during a fight to take control of the island. The British wanted to use it as an airbase. The Japanese soldiers had to make a tough choice. They could either give up to the enemy or try to escape. They chose to escape by going through 16 kilometers of mangrove swamps to reach oth…