KANCHANABURI (PART 1)

THE KHWAE RIVER AND THE DEATH RAILWAY: BETWEEN MEMORY AND TOURISM

#attimidiordinariafotografia

Houseboats are towed along the Khwae River - Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

Tourists visit the Death Railway Bridge - Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

Death Railway Bridge - Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

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Kanchanaburi is a small town in western Thailand with a strong historical identity due to certain events during the last century. Situated on land where the Khwae Yai and Khwae Noi rivers meet in the Mae Klong River, thanks to its advantageous location and proximity to the border of present-day Myanmar, it has served as a defensive base against potential Burmese attacks and invasions since the late 19th century.

It was during the Second World War, however, that it became particularly important. Under the control of Japanese troops like the whole of Thailand, from 1942 it became the geographical focus for the realisation of an ambitious railway project. 415 km of track that would have connected Thailand and Myanmar with a single purpose: to ensure overland supplies for the Japanese army during their planned attempts to conquer other countries in West Asia. In particular, given the need to cross the river, it was here that the only steel bridge on Thai soil of the project was built, which is still in use today.

The labour force of hundreds of thousands of people was exploited for the operation: individuals at forced labour (especially Burmese, Malay, Indonesian, Chinese and Thai) and allied prisoners of war (British, Australian, American, Dutch and Irish) subjected to unthinkable living conditions. The hard and continuous working hours combined with malnutrition, poor hygienic conditions and the consequent spread of disease caused the death of almost half of those who took part in the construction operations. It is easy to understand why this stretch of track was later renamed the 'Death Railway'.

It goes without saying that these events have shaped the morphological profile of the city, making memory a central element of its identity, capable of characterising the tourism of the entire surrounding area. In addition to the war cemeteries, there are numerous historical museums tracing the different phases of construction or this moment of the world conflict, as well as memorial sections that can be visited along the railway - among them the Death Railway Bridge and the Hellfire Pass. Not only that, even those places that belong, so to speak, to the commercial sphere of the city - restaurants and various activities, markets, resorts and purpose-built areas - taking advantage of the profit brought by such attractions, have redesigned some of their features to wink at the famous episode. Hence, names of venues that recall the railway and famous places on its course, reproductions of military vehicles scattered along the river banks, crowded tourist areas near prominent points.

If the presence of these elements already gave me pause for thought, what struck me most of all was a certain 'carefree' attitude, prevalent among many of the Western as well as Asian tourists, which in a way clashed with the history to which those places bore witness. The posed photos with beaming smiles and unrestrained selfies, the consumption of snacks and drinks, combined with the physical elements already mentioned above, made the atmosphere of some moments surreal, in some ways similar to an amusement park whose main theme is war. The feelings I experienced visiting some of these places led me to ask myself a question: can there be memory without awareness?

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Some tourists photograph the landscape from the train, others photograph the train - Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

A family of tourists walk along a section of the Death Railway - Kanchanaburi, Thailand.