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  1. #1

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    Kanchanaburi/River Kwai Bridge

    Kanchanaburi River Kwai Bridge was started to be built on the 16th of September 1942, the Japanese Engineers estimated it would take 5 years to build the bridge and the connecting railway to supply there troops in Burma going through the 3 Pagodas Pass, it was completed in 16 months, this was due mainly to the 61,000 prisoners of war of which about 16,000 of them died and around 200,000 Asian forced helpers, out of this lot just over 49,000 died due to disease etc, 21 months after it had been finished we bombed the fok out of it and crippled it.

    The bridge was actually shipped over from Java to be assembled here.

    They still have some of the old trains there and it has a load of restaurants and souvenier stalls to buy trinkets.

    Also there are a few guest houses around this area starting from the 150baht per night range and raft restaurants and accomodation.






















    Kanchanaburi

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    Here is a picture of the Bridge over the River Kwai from The Jeath War Museum.


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    DD is this the official JEATH War Musuem. When I visited in 2002 was in a musuem about 20 mins longtail boat ride from the bridge.



    A very good reminder of what went on. The musuem itself was made of huts similar to what the prisoners used to live in. Unfortunately no photos of inside were allowed to be taken. Some more photos of the bridge to follow.

  4. #4
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    Photos not as good as DDs as taken with bog standard camera










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    These photos taken after boarding the train at Thakilen and travelling a few stations up the line along the river Kwai:-









    From TAT

    The Bridge on the River Khwae (the Death Railway Bridge)

    Thanks to several films and books, the Bridge on the River Khwae has become notoriously famous and attracted both Thais and foreigners to the site.

    If an ordinary black iron bridge can tell a story, you can be sure it's a dramatic one.

    The bridge spans across Maenam Khwae Yai which is a branch of Maenam Mae Klong.

    During the Japanese occupation of Thailand in World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army brought the iron bridge from Java.

    It was then resembled by Allied Prisoners of War (POW) under Japanese supervision.

    The bridge was part of a strategic railway route to Myanmar in which the Japanese aimed to secure supplies with which to conquer other western Asian countries.

    It was 415 kilometers long (about 303 kilometers in Thailand and about 112 kilometers in Burma) and passed through the Three Pagoda Pass in Sangkhlaburi District, the northern most part of Kanchanaburi province.

    Construction started on September 16, 1942 at Nong Pladuk, and was completed on 25 December 1943.

    It is estimated that over 16,000 POWs from England, Australia, Holland and America died while building the bridge which was a target of bombing raids in 1945.

    In addition to this, approximate 90,000 laborers from Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia died during its construction.

    Rebuilt after WWII, the bridge is still in use today with the curved portions of the bridge being that of the original.

    An attraction of note is the annual light and sound event at the bridge to commemorate the Allied attack in 1945.

    The railway currently ends at Ban Tha Sao or Namtok Station, a distance of some 77 km. from Kanchanaburi Station.

    A special train running from Bangkok to Namtok Station is available on weekends and national holidays. For further details, please contact the State Railway of Thailand, Tel. 0 1690, 0 2220 4334

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Propagator
    DD is this the official JEATH War Musuem.
    Nope, I was to find out later that they are a new one that is taking advantage of it's proximity to the River Kwai Bridge, and it should actually be called the World War 2 museum still I suppose the big sign with Jeath Museum gets the tourists in even if they are visiting the wrong place

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    Quote Originally Posted by Propagator View Post
    Unfortunately no photos of inside were allowed to be taken.
    i'm very surprised that that stopped you!

    is the mighty Dirty Dog loosing his bite?

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    Have you got any cheese Thetyim's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kingwillyhggtb
    i'm very surprised that that stopped you!
    I sure that if there had been any semi-naked ladies in there he would have ignored the rules

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    wasnt there another thread about kanchanupburi that you started a while back doggy?

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    kanchanaburi is a nice spot.
    the cemetry, for me , was an amazing experience.
    really made me think of the lives/sacrifices made.
    more poignant because my grandad was a prisoner of war, worked on the bridge.
    didn't die there though.
    oh. and i also met angelina jollie there. whem she was making beyond borders, an all right movie. she has got big lips.

  11. #11
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    actually the book (sorry forgot the exact name) "bridge over river kwai" is bladdy interesting and gives u a good insight into the building of it....

  12. #12
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    Earliy on after moving here, I asked among a large group of Thai Educators from Mahidol University, Kanchanaburi, that's where the famous "Bridge Over the River Kwai" is isn't it? I was corrected by a nice, older gentleman "It is not the River Kwai, Kwai is a Buffalo it is an insult to call someone a buffalo, the river doesn't mind, but it is 'The River Kwae'"
    When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty -- T. Jefferson


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    Quote Originally Posted by friscofrankie View Post
    Earliy on after moving here, I asked among a large group of Thai Educators from Mahidol University, Kanchanaburi, that's where the famous "Bridge Over the River Kwai" is isn't it? I was corrected by a nice, older gentleman "It is not the River Kwai, Kwai is a Buffalo it is an insult to call someone a buffalo, the river doesn't mind, but it is 'The River Kwae'"
    absolutely correct, and yes i did know that....

    but someboady shoulda told hollywood dat... cos now it IS river kwai ... like it or not

  14. #14
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    Just reminded me of a very pleasant evening. My ex wife was doing her masters at mahidol and I got spend some time with some very interesting Thais.
    Quote Originally Posted by kingwillyhggtb
    now it IS river kwai ... like it or not
    Sho 'nuff, Part of this fellows charm; he knew it; even at some level accpeted it. But he wasn;t going to let it go with out making his own little effort. Some kinda bigwig concerned environmental and ecological issues facing Thailand.
    Don't miss the ex-wife but I do miss some of the folks she introduced me to...

  15. #15
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    some photos I took in Kan




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