Refurbished Hellfire Pass Museum Opens

The refurbished Hellfire Pass Interpretative Centre, originally built and funded by the Australian Government in collaboration with the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand, was re-opened in Kanchanaburi in Thailand on 12 December after the completion of improvement works.

The Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre and Memorial Walking Trail are dedicated to Australians and Allied Prisoners of War, and Asian labourers (Romusha), who suffered and died at Hellfire Pass and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region during the Second World War. Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester touched on the significance of the Thai-Burma Railway and infamous sites such as Hellfire Pass:

“Earlier this year I had the privilege of meeting with and hearing the stories of four of those brave men who worked on the Burma-Thailand Railway as Prisoners of War. Not only is this site of great importance to them, but as demonstrated by the some 160,000 visitors every year, it holds special significance for many Australian and other visitors to this historic site.”

The refurbishment work was managed by Australia’s Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG), which has developed an audio guide tour that many visitors and tour groups listen to as they walk along the path of the railway to the memorial and beyond. The audio guide, available in English, Dutch and Thai, provides a history of Hellfire Pass and includes first-hand comments from ex-Prisoners of War.

The OAWG, on behalf of the Australian Government, maintains official Australian military memorials in overseas locations including Thailand. These memorials recognise and educate Australians and other visitors to these locations about Australia’s military history and heritage.