Tourists spark backlash after driving across WWII bomb craters

Khao Laem National Park has ordered a group of tourists to report to park officials within seven days after they were seen driving their vehicles onto a historic Second World War bomb crater site in Kanchanaburi province.

The incident came to light after the Thai-Burma Railway Facebook page shared photographs showing about 10 vehicles parked and driven across the grassy site in Sangkhla Buri district.

The area contains several bomb craters left by Allied air raids targeting the Japanese Imperial Army's "Death Railway" during the Second World War. It is also the former location of Nitheh railway station, one of the key stops along the railway line built by prisoners of war under Japanese occupation.

In its post on Monday, the page criticised the tourists' actions as inappropriate, noting that the site has been preserved as a historical landmark and educational resource for those studying Thailand's wartime history.

The page administrator also called on Khao Laem National Park to take action against those responsible for the alleged encroachment.

Park authorities subsequently announced that the vehicle owners must report to the park administration within seven days to explain their actions. Failure to do so could result in legal proceedings.

Nitheh was one of five major railway stations on the infamous "Death Railway", which linked Thailand and Burma, now Myanmar. Remnants of railway sleepers and a former maintenance facility can still be found at the site, which is regarded as an important wartime heritage location.