Movies have been made and much has been written about this place, but it barely ever makes it to the list of top places to visit in Thailand. Thailand Tourism chooses not to aggressively market it. The Death Railway ring any bells? The Burma Railway perhaps?! It’s one of the saddest chapters in recent human history.
The Original Idea
Once upon a time, Burma was a British colony. The British government planned to build a railway line connecting Thailand to Burma. But the project was shelved in its initial stages as the proposed course of the line – through hilly jungle terrain divided by many rivers – seemed impossible to complete.
And then World War II broke out; the Japanese seized the colony from British control.
Why did they decide to build?
Now the Japanese needed to maintain their forces in Burma, which required bringing in supplies and troops. They had two ways of doing this
Route 1 - by sea, through the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea.
Route 2 - by rail, connecting Ban Pong in Thailand with Thanbyuzayat in Burma.
Route 1 was a risk, susceptible to attack by Allied submarines, and that was a risk the Japs could not afford in the middle of war. So well, they chose Route 2.
Time Constraints
By August, 1942, approval had been solicited from all those required to start the project. All the papers were in order. The estimated time of building was 5 years. Construction began in October, 1942 from both ends of the line. The two lines met by August,1943. Less than a year!
How did they do it?
The estimated total number of civilian labourers and POWs who died during construction varies considerably, but the figures suggest that of the 330,000 people that worked on the line (including 250,000 Asian labourers and 61,000 Allied POWs) about 90,000 of the labourers and about 16,000 Allied prisoners died. But who cares, the Japanese had their railway line.
And that’s how it got named the “Death Rail”, just BTW.
Why did so many people die?
After the first fifty-five km from Nong Pladuk to Kanchanaburi, were easy to construct because of the flat terrain. The rest of the way was hell, jungles, hills and rivers with barely any access to civilization. Starvation, sickness and death were rampant and who knows what other untold horrors.
Even after the railway was completed, 30,000 prisoners were kept in six camps along the lines for maintenance. These camps were close to the bridge and other strategic positions, they were bombed several times by the Allied forces resulting in more carnage.
Evidence
Life in the POW camps during construction was recorded at great risk to themselves by a number of artists. Human hair was often used for brushes, plant juices and blood for paint, and toilet paper was the ‘canvas’. Some of these works were actually used as evidence in the trials of Japanese war criminals after the war.
Bridge 277
Probably the most famous portion of the railway, popularly known as ‘the bridge on the River Kwai’, was built over a stretch of river which was a part of the Mae Klong. The association with the ‘River Kwai’ came from the fact that the greater part of the Thai part of the route followed the valley of the Khwae Noi, ‘Kwai’ being the Thai word for Water Buffalo. In 1960, because of this discrepancy between fact and fiction, the part of the Mae Klong which passes under the famous bridge was renamed as the Khwae Yai (“big tributary”).
Walking across the bridge is somewhere on the top of my list of things to do in Thailand, even though it isn’t the original one.
Post-War
After being bombed and reconstructed twice, the bridge was out of commission by 24th June, 1945. After the Japanese surrendered, the British Army removed 3.9 kilometers of track on the Thai-Burma border. Thai Railways relaid the 130 km Ban Pong–Namtok section and it is still in use today.
Also read our guide to culture of Thailand and browse all best Thailand tour packages.
Latest posts by Shivangi Rajendran (see all)
- Top 6 Places to See in Pondicherry - October 29, 2021
- Top 6 Places to See in Coorg - October 25, 2021
- Top 10 Activities to do in Pondicherry - October 24, 2021
- Krabi Calling – Top 7 Things to do in Krabi - October 23, 2021
- Top 10 Fun Things to do in Kuala Lumpur - October 16, 2021
- Top 8 Places to See in Agra - Beyond the Taj - October 14, 2021
- The Science of Life – 5 Things to Keep in Mind Before an Ayurveda Massage - October 7, 2021
- Heating up Winter in Kashmir - September 19, 2021
- A Virtual Trip to Tashkent’s Traditions - September 17, 2021
- Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival: Origins - September 13, 2021
- Chocolate Love in Ooty - September 11, 2021
- Inside Paradise - September 9, 2021
- What not to do in Maldives - September 5, 2021
- A Desert Safari in Dubai – All you need to know - September 2, 2021
- All for Chocolate - August 29, 2021
- Kopi Luwak – not your regular Cuppa ! - August 27, 2021
- Hyderabad: Origins - August 26, 2021
- Eating your way through Bessie Beach - August 21, 2021
- Hauz Khas Village - For a slice of Contemporary Delhi - August 10, 2021
- Aati Kya Khandala? - Romantic Getaways in the Hills - August 6, 2021
- Rainy Day Rhapsody - 5 Awesome Things to do When it’s Raining - August 2, 2021
- An ode to Queen Shantala - July 30, 2021
- Give time a Break – Peaceful Pondy! - July 29, 2021
- The Adventures of Pir Haji Ali - July 16, 2021
- The Story of Singapore’s National Mascot - Where did the Merlion come from? - July 13, 2021
- Bangkok’s Best Buys - July 9, 2021
- Good ‘ol Days in Goa - July 1, 2021
- Slinging Singapore Style - June 29, 2021
- Walking with Tigers in Thailand - June 24, 2021
- Nursing a Sweet Tooth in Goa - June 3, 2021
Revisions
There are no revisions for this post.
