Tracing Thai war history in Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi’s dark history intrigues Susheela Nair into exploring its war memorials and museums

A Buddhist temple in Kanchanaburi. PHOTO BY AUTHOR

After a two-hour drive from Bangkok, we reached Kanchanaburi, the favourite weekend haunt of Bangkok’s city folk. Located at the confluence of the Kwai Noi and Kwai Yai Rivers, Kanchanaburi (the land of gold in local parlance) lies at the source of the Mae Klong. Currently, this town is best known for the famous Bridge on the River Kwai, its sombre links to World War II, and the graveyards and museums associated with the Death Railway.

Then there are tours to the verdant countryside, waterfalls, forests, adventure sports, elephant rides in Muang Sing Elephant Village and a slew of Buddhist temples like Wat Tawasangakaram. Kanchanaburi shot into prominence after it was immortalised in Pierre Boulle’s novel Bridge on the River Kwai and the 1957 David Lean film of the same name. It draws tourists who come scouting for the bridge commemorated in history and in the film.

Death Railway owes its macabre name to the thousands of labourers and POWs who perished during its construction. Today, the train from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi is free for locals and passes through Sai Yok Waterfall, Tham Krasae Cave Temple and the River Kwai Bridge, which is Kanchanaburi’s biggest claim to fame.

Death Railway Museum

We started our museum hopping with the Death Railway Museum and Research Centre which provides information and personal tours for family members seeking answers about their relatives. There are artefacts excavated from the camps, a three-dimensional representation of the full length of the railway with campsites identified by lights, a graphic POW hospital and a statue of Australian POW Ray Parkin’s famous sketch of two malaria victims supporting a man dying of cholera.

Our next stop was the JEATH War Museum. JEATH is the acronym for Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand and Holland — the countries involved in the construction of the Death Railway. We got an insight into the appalling conditions in the rough terrain and the dangerous tropical diseases that the POWs had to experience in the camps.

I could imagine the 16,000 POWs and 100,000 conscripts toiling in the scorching heat of the inhospitable terrain. The heavy monsoonal rainfall also made work on the bridge extremely difficult. At this simple and rustic open-air museum, the main attraction is a long bamboo hut (a replica of the hut of POW’s quarters). Inside, we saw countless photos, drawings and newspaper clippings depicting the barbaric treatment at the hands of their captors, the plight, struggle, deprivation of basic living standards and the helplessness of the POWs and their relatives. Also on display are articles by former POWs and their relatives and a motley collection of items such as pistols, knives and bombs dropped by the allied forces to hinder the transportation of Japanese troops between Thailand and Burma

Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

In the heart of the town lies Don Rok War Cemetery (Kanchanaburi War Cemetery), an immaculately preserved war cemetery where a large number of those who died building the bridges have been laid to rest.

A granite plaque informs the visitor that the remains of 6982 Allied prisoners of war are preserved here.

As we stepped into the well-manicured garden, we saw rows and rows of neatly arranged headstones interspersed with trees, flowers and the occasional flag, corresponding to the nationality of the soldier buried there. Established in January 1956, the cemetery is divided into sections based on nationality.

According to our guide, the locals will try to spot shapes, resembling numbers in the ‘holy trees’ at the cemetery and use them to buy lottery. Each poor soul was represented by a rectangular plate noting the name, date of birth and the regiment or town he came from.

Bridge on the River Kwai

I stopped at the sturdy iron bridge on the River Kwai. The famous 300-metre railway bridge still retains its power and symbolism. Its centre was destroyed by bombs in 1945, so only the outer curved spans are original. Nothing remains of the wooden bridge built downstream. There are safety points, along it where you can stand if a train appears.

The walk along the rail track with the green mountains serving as a backdrop with the barges plying along the river below, and watching tourists posing for instagrammable moments on the bridge, was quite an experience. Memories of the bridge, the railway track, the cemetery, the deaths, and the harrowing realities of the atrocities lingered long.

We left Kanchanaburi with a heavy heart thinking of more than 1,00,000 POWs who had died because of endemic diseases, starvation and torture never to ride the railway they helped build.