KANCHANABURI
Chong Kai War
Cemetery

Situated only 2 kilometers south of town on
the bank of the Kwai Noi River, the cemetery occupies the site
of the Chong Kai which once was the prisoner of war camp.
Smaller in size, the cemetery attracts visitors to see its
peaceful, well-designed landscape where 1,740 POWs rest in
eternal peace.
Kanchanaburi War
Cemetery (Don Rak)
This is the place where the remains of 6,982
POWs died during the construction of the Death Railway are
buried. The cemetery, which is located on Saengchuto Road,
opposite the Railway Station,
It is open daily from 8.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m..
The Bridge on the
River Khwae (the Death Railway Bridge)
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 JEATH War Museum
The name JEATH is derived from countries
which engaged in the WWII death railway construction from 1942
to 1945, which included Japan, England, America, Australia,
Thailand and Holland. Located in the area of Wat Chai Chumphon,
the museum is a reconstruction of the POWs thatched detention
hut with cramped, elevated bamboo bunks. On the wall of the
huts, photographs and illustrations of the POWs living
conditions are on display. POWs who survived from the camp have
donated items to enhance the museums atmosphere and
authenticity. The museum opens daily from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m
Tham Khao Pun Temple
(Wat Tham Khao Pun)
Once a major POW camp, the temple where many
Buddha images are enshrined is located in the middle cave and is
surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites. The temple is 3
kilometers from Chongkai War Cemetery.
Krasae Cave (Tham
Krasae)
This cave, which houses sacred Buddha images,
is located approximately 55 kilometres from Kanchanaburi, beside
the surviving remnants of the Death Railway overlooking Khwae
Noi River near Wang Pho Railway Station. The cave is within
walking distance from the railway tracks of Wang Pho Railway
Station.
Erawan National Park
The national park is 65 kilometers from
Kanchanaburi along Route 3199. The park, covering
550-square-kilometers, is the site of the seven-tiered Erawan
waterfall, one of Thailands loveliest waterfalls. The second
tier has a pool, which is ideal for swimming and is particularly
picturesque. However, the most popular activity in the park is
trekking.
Sai Yok National
Park
The park covers approximately
300-square-kilometers and contains several interesting caves and
the nations famous Sai Yok Yai waterfall. The park has dense
forests, including majestic teak trees and an abundance of small
mammals such as squirrels, bats and deer, as well as numerous
bird species. IN addition, the park is home to what is probably
the smallest mammal in the world, the two-grammed Kittis
Hog-nosed Bat, which was first discovered in 1973 by a Thai
naturalist. The park is 104 kilometers from Kanchanaburi via
Highway No. 323 and can also be reached by chartered boat from
the Pak Saeng Pier. The park is very popular during the
weekends.
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