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Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Kanchanaburi is located in Central Thailand, 130 kilometers West of Bangkok. During WWII it was the location of some of the most brutal atrocities In Asia.

Bridge On The River Kwai
The real name for this famous waterway is actually "Kwae" and is a tributary of the Mae Klong (Mekong). The river has gained international fame due the construction of the Death Railway and the famous "Bridge on the River Kwai". The curved spans of the bridge in the photos are the original sections.

All over Kanchanaburi are testaments to the suffering of the laborers who were forced to work under appalling, inhumane conditions. An estimated 16,000 war prisoners and over 100,000 local laborers died between 1942-1943.

The Thailand-Burma "Death Railway"
Built as an aid to moving supplies after the capture of Thailand by the Imperial Japanese Army, thousands of allied POW's were transported from Singapore to begin working on the line, as well as the famous "Bridge On The River Kwai".

Beginning in 1942, the workforce was subject to constant battles against not only the brutality of their captors but also appalling living conditions and the constant threat of death and disease. The most famous section further north towards Burma is "Hellfire Pass", pounded out through solid rock. Most of the original railway has been taken over by the jungle.

All along the route from Kanchanaburi are sections and memorials dedicated to the construction of the railway and the suffering of the many thousands of lives it cost.

Hellfire Pass
The most infamous stretch of the Thai-Burma Death Railway also offers the most horrific stories of human suffering. Known by the Japanese Army as the "Konyu Cutting", allied POW's were forced to cut through solid rock, sometimes for days at a time with little or no food and no rest.

Bridge on the River Kwai 1
Bridge on the River Kwai 1
Bridge on the River Kwai 2
Bridge on the River Kwai 2
Bridge on the River Kwai 3
Bridge on the River Kwai 3
River Kwai Bridge Rail Station - Kanchanaburi
River Kwai Bridge Rail Station - Kanchanaburi
Bridge on the River Kwai - tour train
Bridge on the River Kwai - tour train
On tour
On tour
School tour
School tour
Waiting
Waiting
Hellfire Pass - Also called Konyu Cutting
Hellfire Pass - Also called Konyu Cutting
Hellfire Pass
Hellfire Pass
Hellfire Pass
Hellfire Pass
Hellfire Pass Memorial - See next image for details
Hellfire Pass Memorial - See next image for details
Hellfire Pass Memorial
Hellfire Pass Memorial
Broken Drill Bit
Broken Drill Bit
Weary Dunlop
Weary Dunlop
Burma -Thailand Railway
Burma -Thailand Railway
War Museum
War Museum
Railway construction
Railway construction
Railway construction
Railway construction
War Museum 3
War Museum 3
War Museum 4
War Museum 4
War Museum 5
War Museum 5
Train used on the Burma - Thailand Railway
Train used on the Burma - Thailand Railway
Transporting POWs to Thailand to work on the Death Railway
Transporting POWs to Thailand to work on the Death Railway
War Cemetary - See next image for deatils
War Cemetary - See next image for deatils
War Cemetery 1
War Cemetery 1
War Cemetery 2
War Cemetery 2
War Cemetery 3
War Cemetery 3
War Cemetery 4
War Cemetery 4
War Cemetery 5
War Cemetery 5
War Cemetery 6
War Cemetery 6
War Cemetery 7
War Cemetery 7
Understanding
Understanding
River Life Today - Small Wat on the river
River Life Today - Small Wat on the river
On the river 1
On the river 1
On the river 2
On the river 2
Water buffalos cooling off after the day's work
Water buffalos cooling off after the day's work
Monkey school
Monkey school