Bridge on the Kwai
D.B.N. MURTHY
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The bridge was built by prisoners of war so that the Japanese could move men and material to the warfront.
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"Death Railway Bridge", as it has been named, spans the Kwai, a tributary of the Mae Nam Mae Klong.
PHOTO: AP
TOURISTS TAKE A LOOK: Death Railway Bridge.
Nostalgic memories of World War II are kindled when one sees the (in) famous Bridge on the Kwai in Kanchanaburi, west of Bangkok, Thailand. This bridge became famous after the film by the same name, (actually filmed near Kandy, Sri Lanka) which captured the dramatic moments of its construction as well as its destruction.
Made famous by war
However, in real life the picture is different from what is depicted in the movie. No doubt the film takes the actual facts connected with the construction of the bridge like the use of the prisoners of war (POW) and Japanese army supervision and so on.
Kanchanaburi is 130 km west of Bangkok and accessible by road as well as rail. The Kwai (its actual name is Khwae) meanders near the town. The bridge is a reconstruction of the original, which was destroyed when the allies bombed it in 1945. The present bridge has the same curved portion of the structure as the original. The bridge served the Japanese for about 20 months to move men and material to the warfront to Burma (now Myanmar).
The first bridge took three months, from November 1942 to February 1943, to build through the forcible use of POWs who were made to work under trying conditions with little food and nourishment. Those who died while working and in combat are commemorated in the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in the town.
"Death Railway Bridge", as it has been named, spans the Kwai, a tributary of the Mae Nam Mae Klong. The bridge has a number of steel girders that spans the river. A railway track is laid over the bridge and a train is scheduled every few minutes for the benefit of visitors eager to make the historic run over the famous bridge. The 15-minute up and down train ride costs 20 baht. One can walk (carefully) over the bridge that has gaping holes and no support. It is exciting to walk or ride over the bridge that is a relic of World War II.
The town cashes in on the fame of the Bridge with hotels, lodges, restaurants, cafes, T-shirts, gift and sovereign shops. Floating barges have restaurants with music and dance as they cruise on the river and go underneath the bridge. For a thrill, fast motorboats can be hired to zip beneath the bridge and skim over the waters.
The horrors of war
The War Museum on the banks of the Kwai showcases the horrors the POWs had to face and the manner in which they were forced to work under inhuman conditions. A ghastly reminder of the horrors of the war is the sight of uniforms used by the POWs and 106 bones of the labourers who died during the construction of the bridge. Railway engine, railway compartments used to ferry POWs, jeeps and cars used by the Japanese army commanders, uniforms and boats used by the Japanese are on display.
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