During World War II, the Japanese needed a railroad from Thailand to Burma, which they expected to take five years to complete. Those plans were drawn before they found a source of free labor: the Allied Prisoners and forced laborers. Because of the inhuman amount of labor forced on the workers, the railway line that was expected to take five years to complete was ready in only 16 months.
There is a famous bridge in Thailand that crosses a river called the Khwae Yai. The historic bridge is a symbolic reminder of the harrowing cruelty suffered by the Allied prisoners and the conscripted southeast Asian laborers, all forced into service by the Japanese.
Highlights
- The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by Commonwealth, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project, driven by the need for improved communication to support the large Japanese army in Burma.
- Approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also died in the course of the project.
- The railway is 250 miles (402 kilometers) long and was completed in December 1943.
- The 'Death Railway' starts at Nong Pladuk, 80km west of Bangkok.
- Using a guided tour service is recommended while visiting this place, as you will be accompanied by a tour guide that can tell you the history of this place.
6-Day Bangkok and Chiang Mai Highlights Tour:
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Thailand -insights, no stress and amazing team
My husband and my Thailand trip was fantastic, stress-free and educational thanks to the amazing team coordinated by Albee at Asia Highlights. The whole team was incredibly accessible, responsive, sensitive to our needs and lovely to work with. End-to-end, the trip was truly remarkable and the knowledgeable and dynamic tour guides and drivers made it especially memorable! More
AndrewsFamily,
Oct 2023
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Informative & Thorough / Thanks Sharon!
Sharon the advisor that helped me was so thorough & informative and explained the details of the tour including questions about visas and what is included vs what is not included in the tour packages. I would recommend them to explain tour packages that would fit the schedule of your pending travels. More
Chris,
Sep 2023
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Easy, fast responses
I worked directly with Monica in Asia Highlights. She was incredibly helpful and answered all of my questions quickly. Working with her made the whole process easy and we are so excited for our trip! More
Diana B,
Sep 2023
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Stress free Thailand
Alisa has organised our 14 day Thailand holiday for 2024 for my family & I. She has been very accommodating & super quick with all of our requests & we cannot wait for a stress free holiday! Thank you Alisa! More
Alana Mitchell,
Sep 2023
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Family Trip to Thailand-Cambodia
All of our guides were very nice and knowledgeable, but we have a special mention to our guide in Cambodia, Chan, he was very kind with us and it was very amusing. He went the extra mile for us. We really enjoyed our holidays! More
José Antonio Carrillo de la Pl,
Sep 2023
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Asia Highlights and Sharon
Asia Highlights, specifically Sharon, has been wonderfully helpful as we get ready for a 2024 excursion to Thailand. We are beyond excited, and much of that has to do with the personalized attention that we have experienced with Sharon. She has been extremely responsive, obliging, and focused as she helped us design a tailor made itinerary. All of our questions have been addressed, our needs have been met, and the path has now been set for a very exciting trip.... thanks to Sharon. More
Marcy Hoenig,
Sep 2023
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I was planning a trip to Thailand to…
I was planning a trip to Thailand to especially see the Lantern Festival this year for our birthdays!! It’s been on our bucket list, but we were completely lost on how to go about planning for our trip. We’ve never really booked tours before but Alisa was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, flexible and efficient in providing all the information we needed to make our decision on the best tours and tickets to purchase. Thank you so much!! More
https://www.trustpilot.com/reviews/64d9a5a4657e4b39f768a21e,
Aug 2023
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I would definitely recommend Asia…
All of our guides were wonderful (Mr. Bank - Bangkok and Ms. Kai in Phuket & Khao Sok plus antoher guide who assisted in Koh Samui). Sharon took care of tours, private drivers, flights and hotels within Thailand and our trip went off without a hitch. The hotels were great and the transportation always arrived on time and with a clean, More
Guinevere Provance,
Aug 2023
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Great Experience
WOW! I’ve traveled Asia some & I must say Sharon & Asia Highlights made this trip so much more enjoyable and easy More
Stephen Hollis,
Aug 2023
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Alisa has has been great to work with
Alisa with Asia Highlights has has been great to work with. Very friendly and responsive. More
Ana Rausch,
Aug 2023
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Using Sharon right now to book our…
Using Sharon right now to book our upcoming trip to Thailand. She has booked everything that we asked for. Has answered all of my inquiries, which has been many! Looking forward to having a great girls trip in Thailand More
Tracy,
Aug 2023
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Thailand, Singapore, Bali
In Thailand, Tanny and Nori(Suparp), were both incredible! They were both fun, funny, and full of knowledge and made sure we got the full experience. They went the extra mile and always made sure we had cold bottled water and towels to cleanse our hands. In Singapore, Nicole was an absolute gem. She was so kind and knowledgeable and guided us in the right direction to make our day as enjoyable as possible. She helped us choose a top notch local lunch and coffee spot in China Town and taught us so much about the country! In Bali, Emon was an absolute joy. He was very knowledgeable and kind and absolutely made sure we were feeling comfortable and was willing to be flexible with us. He was fun to converse with and made our time traveling between destinations so enjoyable! I cannot recommend Asia Highlights enough! Accommodations, travel arrangements and guided tours were all a breeze. More
Cassi Thunker,
Jul 2023
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Very supportive
Very supportive ! I have received eticket for Sky Lattern Festival very fast More
Chi?n Nguy?n Ng?c,
Jul 2023
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My experience in Chang Mai with Asia Highlights
I greatly enjoyed my experience with Asia Highlights for a trip I booked to Thailand.All of my interests were catered too. My guide in Chang Mai Gemma was excellent.I truly felt the soul of Thailand culture and Buddhism. More
Richard,
Jul 2023
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A pleasure to plan with
Well, this has been a painless and pleasurable process to find such a wonderful company. I had specific dates and places to be and Sharon worked with me diligently to refine the schedule and costs to suit my travel needs and budget. She informed me of a special tour on the dates I am to be in Thailand and I added that to my previous plans. More
Chris Williams,
Jul 2023
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Large multi-generational holiday in Thailand
The holiday was wonderful. Our guides, Mr Monchai (Bangkok), and Ms Tipagorn (Tippy) (Chiang Mai) were exceptional. Travelling in a large multigenerational group with many children requires patience and our guides truly understood that. Mr Monchai and Ms Tippy shared their extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. While everyday was busy, having them greet us with patience and a smile truly made this a memorable holiday. The hotels we stayed at were equally wonderful and went above and beyond to celebrate not only my parents 50th anniversary but also celebrate 2 milestone birthdays that occurred. We will cherish this holiday for many years to come. We hope to use Asia Highlights again. More
CL,
Jul 2023
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I never used a travel agent in my life
I never used a travel agent in my life, but Sharon for Asia Highlights did a phenomenal job helping planning and coordination a family vacation. The best part of working with Sharon was that she maintained an open line of communication and provided answers to my question well within 12-24 hours. Additionally, Sharon was flexible and customized our vacation to my families needs. Overall great experience. More
Antione Barry,
Jul 2023
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Great company to plan a trip to Southeast Asia!
Sharon Haung has been wonderful to work with! Very patient and accommodating. Responds immediately given time change and is prepared, prompt, and professional. More
Debi Hinerfeld,
Jul 2023
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We took a 15 days trip (10 days Vietnam and 5 days Thailand …
It was an amazing experience the guides and drivers were there awaiting for us at each airoport for a transfer to the hotels also on time for all the tours all the guides were so lovely , very experienced and spoke very good English , one of the days on tour in Thailand I lost my phone in a temple in Bangkok mr chai went out of his way in a middle of thousands of visitors and managed to find an bring it back to me I found that amazing , also while on a trip I contacted Jason li out tour organizer few time via whatup and he replied and helped on the spot I recommend asiahilights 150% The quality of the service hotels the guides the drivers outstanding From start to finish ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT ???? More
SIMO el ghobar,
Jun 2023
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Wonderful Guides and Experience
Our large group arrived in Bangkok with Tanni as our guide. She was wonderful! An absolute joy to spend time with. She is knowledgeable, kind, and extremely funny. I don’t know what we would have done without her! After Bangkok, we traveled to Chang Mai, where Indy was our tour guide. She was a delight! She is kind, knowledgeable, and so patient. Our trip to Thailand was an adventure of a lifetime and these two women helped make it memorable. I would definitely use Asia Highlights for any future travel in Asia. More
Jessica Bennett,
Jun 2023
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The Burma-Siam Railroad
The Burma Railway, also called Burma-Siam Railway, was built during World War II, connecting Bangkok and Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), Burma (Myanmar). The rail line was built along the Khwae Noi (Kwai) River valley to support the Japanese armed forces during the Burma campaign.
More than 12,000 Allied prisoners of war (POW's) and tens of thousands of forced laborers perished during its construction.
History
In June 1942, the Japanese General Headquarters directed its army to build a single-line meter gauge railway, 250 miles long, from Thailand to Burma. The railway was to carry goods from Ban Pong in Thailand via the Three Pagoda Pass on the Thai-Burmese border to the Burma railway at Thanbyuzayat.
Work started in October 1942, much of it through jungle terrain. The railway was completed at the end of October 1943. More than 12,000 prisoners of war and 100,000 forced laborers died building the railway. Most of the deaths were from sickness, malnutrition and exhaustion.
The railway was to be an alternative to the sea route to Rangoon via Singapore and the Straits of Malacca, since the sea route was being closed in by Allied submarines and aircrafts. The only land road from Thailand to Southern Burma, which ran from Raheng through Kowkariek to Moulmein, was insufficient.
Before the war, Thailand and Burma had begun work on a Bangkok-Moulmein Railway but it was never completed.
Allied Prisoners and Asian Laborers
Allied Prisoners and Asian laborers experienced inhumane treatment and endured torture by Japanese forces. Not only were the long days of the workers filled with harsh labor and punctuated by physical abuse, but also the prisoners were provided with grossly inadequate food.
In addition, there was a lack of potable water. Consequently, the workers were malnourished, dehydrated, and predisposed to illness. These factors, compounded by the unsanitary conditions in the work camps and the tropical environment, meant that disease was rampant. Dysentery and diarrhea were responsible for more than one-third of all deaths on the railway project.
After the railway was completed, the workers still had almost two years to survive before their liberation. During that time, most of them were moved to hospital and to relocation camps where they could be available for maintenance crews or sent to Japan to alleviate the manpower shortage there.
Construction Conditions
Between June 1942 and October 1943, the POW's and forced laborers laid some 258 miles (415 km) of track from Ban Pong, Thailand (roughly 45 miles [72 km] west of Bangkok), to Thanbyuzayat, Burma (roughly 35 miles [56 km] south of Mawlamyine).
Construction was extremely difficult, with the route crossing through thick, mosquito-infested jungle and uneven terrain, while monsoon conditions prevailed. Rivers and canyons had to be bridged and sections of mountains had to be cut through to create a bed that was straight and level enough to accommodate the narrow-gauge track.
The longest and deepest cuttings in the railway occurred at Konyu, some 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Kanchanaburi, Thailand. This section of the railway became known as "Hellfire Pass" because of the harsh working conditions.
The Bridge over the Khwae Yai River
Kanchanaburi, on the Myanmar border, is home to the famous River Kwai Bridge, which was built during World War II by the Japanese. One of the most important and deadliest parts of the entire railway is the Bridge on the River Kwai, which was built over the Mae Klong River.
The Story about the Bridge
There were actually two bridges built over the river at Kanchanaburi. A wooden bridge was built first, about 100 meters up-river from the current bridge, to expedite construction on the line beyond the river. The concrete and steel "main" bridge was added during the war when the steel became available.
The railway line was meant to transport cargo daily to India, to back up their planned attack on India. The bridge served its intended purpose for less than two years, when the railway was heavily bombed by the Allied forces in 1945. Both bridges were bombed near the end of the war. The wooden bridge was demolished after the war since its thick structure blocked the flow of the river.
The Film 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) is an epic World War II adventure/action, anti-war drama. The screenplay was based on French author Pierre Boulle"s 1954 novel of the same name.
The film"s story was loosely based on a true World War II incident, and the real-life character of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey. One of a number of Allied POW"s, Toosey was in charge of his men from late 1942 through May 1943, when they were ordered to build two Kwai River bridges in Burma (one of steel and one of wood), to help move Japanese supplies and troops from Bangkok to Rangoon.
In reality, the bridges took eight months to build and were actually used for two years, and were only destroyed two years after their construction, in late June 1945.
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is only a short distance from the site of the former "Kanburi", the prisoner of war base camp through which most of the prisoners passed on their way to other camps. It was created by the Army Graves Service who transferred to it the graves along the southern half of railway, from Bangkok to Nieke.
Some 300 men who died (mostly from a cholera epidemic in May/June 1943) at Nieke camp were cremated and their ashes now lie in two graves in the cemetery. The names of these men are inscribed on panels in the shelter pavilion. More than 5,000 Commonwealth and 1,800 Dutch casualties are buried or commemorated in the cemetery. The cemetery was designed by Colin St Clair Oakes.
5-Day Essential Bangkok Tour:
Guided Tour
Take an easy day out of Bangkok to visit the River Kwai which is about 128 km to the West. You will visit the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre, an interactive museum with information and research facilities, dedicated to present the history of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
You can take a scenic long-tailed boat trip towards Bridge 277, the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai, that inspired the book and film of the same name. Walk along the bridge, check out local street markets, and then climb on board of a train to travel along the Burma Railway.
At the end of the day, disembark the train and take a walk through the jungle to reach a nearby restaurant where you can relax and have good food with a wide selection of Thai specialties. If you book with Asia Highlights, we will arrange everything so you can enjoy the thrill and learn about the history.
Visit the Bridge with Asia Highlights
Traveling to a place full of history won't be complete if you don't have a tour guide to tell you about every inch of the place. Asia Highlights is a professional travel agency that is familiar with the surroundings, and will arrange everything to meet individual clients' demands. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Why Travel with Asia Highlights (98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+)
- Unique experiences tailored to your interests: Enjoy a premium trip that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions.
- Hassle-free travel and peace of mind: Every aspect of your trip will be carefully planned and organized by your 1:1 travel consultant.
- Experienced and knowledgeable guides: Your guides will be local and love to work for travelers' smiles.
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