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.