JEATH War Museum
พิพิธภัณฑ์สงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 (JEATH)
A small museum at a temple that recreates a prisoner-of-war camp with bamboo huts. Its name is taken from the initials of six countries: Japan, England, Australia/America, Thailand and Holland. The exhibits are simple but authentic.
The JEATH War Museum was founded in 1977 by the abbot of Wat Chaichumphon and sits on the temple grounds near the spot where the Khwae Noi River meets the Khwae Yai River. “JEATH” is taken from the initials of Japan, England, Australia/America, Thailand and Holland, the nations involved in the Death Railway, and it sounds like “death.” The main exhibit is a bamboo longhouse modeled on a prisoner-of-war camp, displaying photographs, sketches, daily objects left by prisoners and newspaper reports from the time, which show the harsh living conditions, disease, hunger and forced labor. The displays are fairly simple, but the photographs and hand-drawn sketches are very moving. It pairs well with the Allied War Cemetery and the Thailand-Burma Railway Center on a historical route through the city. Admission is about 50 baht (subject to on-site information). Getting there: the museum is at the southern edge of town, at the end of Pak Phraek Road by the river, about 2.5 kilometers from the Allied War Cemetery, a 5–10 minute tuk-tuk ride. Note: dress modestly within the temple grounds, and some photographs are quite graphic, so consider this when bringing children.
Opening hours
08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Kanchanaburi Skywalk (Song Khwae-Mae Klong)
- Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
- Thailand–Burma Railway Centre
- Chungkai War Cemetery
- Wat Tham Khao Pun
- Wat Tham Mangkon Thong
- World War II Museum (Kanchanaburi)
- Bridge over the River Kwai