The heavily clouded sky on the war cemeteries in Kanchanaburi on 4 May was an excellent match for the commemoration of the fallen in the Second World War. On that occasion, about forty Dutch people expressed their appreciation for the fact that thousands in Thailand also gave their lives. Dutch, Australians, English (just to name a few countries) and many, many Asians. They are usually paid less attention at commemorations.
The two war cemeteries in Kanchanaburi play a sad role in the Second World War, as a result of the construction of the infamous Burma Railway. The Japanese brought (war) prisoners from all over Asia to build the train connection to Burma under murderous conditions. If you read the shields on the graves, you will discover that many of the men who died here did not live past their early twenties.
In his speech, ambassador Remco van Wijngaarden impressed on the audience that they must continue to value and fight for our freedom. “We owe it to the fallen to protect freedom and to pass it on to new generations intact. And that we must keep telling, repeating and passing on the stories of that time, as a warning, so that such things never happen again. The events of that time ask us to continue to use our heart and mind and to constantly consult our conscience, so that we too - and the generations after us - can live in freedom, ”says Van Wijngaarden. In that context, he pointed to the state of affairs in Ukraine, which shows how quickly the truth is violated.
Then two Thai soldiers blew the tattoo and after two minutes of silence the Wilhelmus was sung. The wreaths were laid on behalf of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Ministry of Defence, representatives of Dutch organizations in Thailand, veterans' organizations and next of kin.
Photos: Raysiya Bokkaew
In the photos:
Ambassador Remco van Wijngaarden and Niels Unkel (consular affairs at the embassy).
In uniform: Captain in the Navy (ret.) Jaap van der Meulen, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
Thanks to the author and thanks for posting. Valued and needed. Let's not forget!!