Central
Thailand / Kanchanaburi / The Bridge over the River Kwai
famous
bridge is about 4km (3mi) north from downtown Kanchanaburi, crossing
the Kwai Yai river. It was brought from Java by the Japanese
Army and was assembled at the River Kwai by the prisoners. Bombed
several times in 1945, it was rebuilt after the war. The curved
spans of the bridge are the original sections. An estimated 16,000
war prisoners and 49,000 forcibly recruited laborers
died during the construction of the bridge and the Death Railway
that leads to Burma.
The railway
line was hewn from the solid rock cliff-sides. Workers would lower
themselves from the top of the cliff, bore a hole and plant a
charge of dynamite in the hole, light the fuse and scurry
up the rope. If they didn't get far enough away they didn't stand
a Chinaman's chance. At the time of the construction the whole
region was jungle and the railway opened the land for cultivation
and made transport of produce possible.
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A madicinal herb that contains chrysophanic acid, a fungicide used to treat fungal infections, like ringworms, scabies and eczema.
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http://www.asiatour.com/thailand/e-04cent/et-ce180.htm
Jan Garanoz
869/116 Thanon Pemavipat,
Chiang Rai, 57000 Thailand
Created: September 1, 1995
Last updated: January 26, 2010