Most people who visit Thailand opt to spend their time on the numerous islands and beaches. For those who have a little bit more time, a visit to Kanchanaburi and the famous Burma-Thailand Railway is an experience not to be missed. Also known as the Death Railway, the Bridge Over River Kwai is probably the most well known part of this construction which was immortalized by the book written by Pierre Boulle.
Death Railway is a 415 kilometre track that was built between Bangkok and Rangoon in the second World War by the Japanese. Forced labour was the means of getting this feat accomplished with many prisoners of wars as the main workers. The acronym JEATH stands for all the soldiers who helped build this railway, coming from Japan, England, Australia, Thailand and Holland, although there were other nationalities involved in the construction as well. The horrific conditions that these brave soldiers were forced to work under are unimaginable, fighting against hard conditions, disease, starvation and severe punishment.
Several war memorials, museums and POW cemeteries are found in the area which are open throughout the year. Visitors can jump on a train running the 130 kilometre track that is still in use and see the amazing rail line and the feat it was to build. Hellfire Pass is a cutting of the railway in which many workers lost their lives. The museum at Hellfire Pass lets visitors relive the life of the POWs with soldier’s memorabilia and films showing the hardships endured. Visitors can walk through a part of the cutting at Hellfire listening to audio of some of the surviving POWs telling their stories. The entire experience is surreal as you come to grips with the endurance of the men that worked these lines many years ago.
Tags: Bridge Over River Kwai, conditions, construction, Death Railway, endure, experience, Hellfire's Pass, JEATH, Kanchanaburi, museum, rail, Thailand, track, war
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