Thailand Guide
The central plains
Chungkai Cemetery
Price: Free
Address: West bank of the Kwai Noi, 2km from Kanchanaburi's Rattanakarn Bridge, along Route 3228
Scrupulously well-trimmed Chungkai Cemetery occupies a fairly tranquil roadside spot on the west bank of the Kwai Noi, at the site of a former POW camp. Some 1750 POWs are buried here; most of the gravestone inscriptions include a name and regimental insignia, but a number remain unnamed – at the upcountry camps, bodies were thrown onto mass funeral pyres, making identification impossible. The cemetery is a pleasant 2km cycle from Kanchanaburi's Rattanakarn Bridge, along Route 3228; much of the land in this area is sugar-cane country, for which Kanchanaburi has earned the title "sugar capital of Thailand".