Kanchanaburi Province Holds River Kwai Bridge Festival 2015 (28/11/2015)

Kanchanaburi Province Holds River Kwai Bridge Festival 2015 (28/11/2015) Kanchanaburi Province is organizing the River Kwai Bridge Week, an event to promote tourism and take visitors back to the times of World War II. Both Thai and international tourists are welcome to the River Kwai Bridge Week, also known as the River Kwai Bridge Festival. It is held in conjunction with the Kanchanaburi Red Cross Fair, under the theme \"70 Years of Peace, Peaceful Kanchanaburi. The River Kwai Bridge Week and Kanchanaburi Red Cross Fair 2015 takes place in the River Kwai Bridge area and the Klip Bua field in Mueang district from 28 November to 7 December 2015. The highlight of this event is the spectacular light and sound presentation, telling the history of the River Kwai Bridge and the Death Railway of World War II. The festival also features cultural performances, concerts, exhibitions, a fun fair, and a bazaar of local products. Visitors will learn more about Kanchanaburi, which is the location of monuments associated with World War II. During the war, a large number of Allied prisoners of war and locally conscripted laborers were forced to build the River Kwai Bridge, which was part of the historic \"Death Railway linking Thailand with Burma, presently Myanmar. The Japanese who occupied Thailand at that time demanded free passage to Burma, and they wanted the railway bridge to serve as their supply line between Thailand, Burma, and India. The prisoners of war were from Australia, England, Holland, New Zealand, and the United States. Asian workers were also employed to build the bridge and the railway line, passing through rugged mountains and jungles. Many prisoners of war and Asian workers died because of hard work, exhaustion, diseases, and beatings. Thousands of Japanese soldiers also lost their lives. The River Kwai Bridge was opened in December 1943. It was the target of frequent Allied bombing raids in 1944. Fortunately, the Japanese army did not have an opportunity to use the bridge. Later, the Thai government bought the railway line from the Allies, rebuilt it, and put it in operation. The infamous River Kwai Bridge and the Death Railway came to the worlds attention with the Hollywood film depicting an episode in the war. This film, The Bridge on the River Kwai, won seven Academy Awards and was named the best film of the year in 1957. The success of the film made Kanchanaburi better known to the world at large as a place of historical significance. An impressive cemetery was built on the site of the bridge containing many graves of prisoners of war. Apart from the bridge, the Japanese War Memorial and the War Museum also draw interest of visitors to this province. About 130 kilometers from Bangkok to the west, Kanchanaburi is recognized as one of the most famous tourist destinations in Thailand. The Government plans to set up a special economic zone in Kanchanaburi, which shares a border with Myanmar. 1/10/2021 Page 1 กรมประชาสัมพันธ์.

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