Photo: Bo Ponomari / Pexels
Tourists Face Charges After Driving on Historic Death Railway Site in Kanchanaburi
A group of tourists has been ordered to report to authorities after videos emerged showing at least eight vehicles, including 4x4s, driving recklessly across the exposed bed of Vajiralongkorn Dam reservoir in Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi province. The area contains the remains of Neekey Station, a World War II-era Death Railway stop built by prisoners of war and forced laborers, which had recently become visible after water levels were lowered for maintenance. The tourists face charges of environmental damage and breaching national park regulations, and those identified have seven days to report to authorities.
About Neekey Station and the Death Railway
Neekey Station was built during World War II under Japanese forced labor, using over 60,000 Allied prisoners of war, predominantly British, Australian, and Dutch, along with up to 250,000 forced civilian laborers from Burma, Thailand, and Malaya. Tens of thousands of those workers died from starvation, overwork, and disease. The station was a major stop on the Death Railway, which ran from Thailand to Burma, located approximately 280 km west of the railway's starting point at Nong Pla Duk station in Ratchaburi province.
The station was never actually used in operation. Allied forces bombed a major bridge on the line before it could function, and most of the railway was later submerged when Vajiralongkorn Dam was constructed for hydropower generation. The station has recently become exposed again after the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand drained reservoir water into the Ranti River for maintenance work, and it may become more fully visible during the dry season.
The Incident
Photos and videos of vehicles driving on the exposed reservoir bed were posted to the Thai Burma Railway Facebook page. In one video clip, a woman in the group can be heard saying "We are going to drive for fun. The weather is fine," apparently unaware of the historical and protected nature of the site.
This was not the first warning issued. Khao Laem National Park had already posted a Facebook warning in May, stating: "Intruding into the park and driving at speed are banned, as it could damage the old train route." Despite this, the incident went ahead.
The administrator of the Thai Burma Railway Facebook page noted that reckless driving is prohibited across all national parks, regardless of whether drivers were aware of the site's historical significance.
What Happens to the Tourists
Authorities have directed anyone identified in the footage to report within seven days or face formal charges. Some online commenters pointed out that foreign tourists in particular may not have known they were on a protected historical site. Park authorities have indicated that this does not exempt anyone from the regulations.
A Contrasting Visit
On the same day the incident footage was published, a group of around 30 Malaysian tourists made their own visit to the site, travelling by train from Malaysia. The group was led by someone identified as Chandra, and included four Malaysian individuals whose ancestors had been forced to serve as interpreters for Japanese captors during the war.
Information sourced from Bangkok Post.