Musical play to celebrate Thai World War II hero

[webfact]

Musical play to celebrate Thai World War II hero

By The Nation

 

Boonpong Sirivejjabhandu

 

Kanchanaburi province plans to pay tribute to Boonpong Sirivejjabhandu, who, together with Australian surgeon Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop, were known as “The Quiet Lions” for their heroics during World War II.

A musical play will tell the story during the extended annual River Kwai Bridge Week celbberations held in Kanchanaburi’s Muang district from November 24 to December 6.

 

Boonpong was a local trader who, despite the risk of torture and death, used his contract with the Imperial Japanese Army to supply the canteens of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) as a cover to bring much-needed medical supplies and other necessities to the prisoners, including Dunlop.

 

The musical play based on his story will feature in the River Kwai Bridge Week and Kanchanaburi Red Cross Fair 2017.

River Kwai Bridge Week aims to promote tourism and create greater awareness of Kanchanaburi as a destination for both domestic and international tourists.

 

The highlight is the light-and-sound show that tells the story of the POWs who built the infamous “Death Railway”, including the bridge on the River Kwai and the “Hellfire Pass” mountain cutting.

 

Boonpong was born on April 21, 1906 in Pak Praek Market area of Muang Kanchanaburi as the eldest son among seven children of Dr Khien Sirivejjabhandu and Lamjiak Sirivejjabhandu.

 

He was the elder brother of former minister and Kanchanaburi MP Phaen Sirivejjabhandu.

 

Boonpong married Surat Cha-umpreuk and they had a daughter, Panee Supawat. After graduating from Suan Kularb Wittayalai high school in 1926, Boonpong served as a civil servant in the Railway Department for eight years. He resigned to join a family business, a trade shop named “Boonpong and Brothers”.

 

He also served as Muang Kanchanaburi mayor for some time. At his own risk, Boonpong took the chance to help the POWs by smuggling items, especially life-saving medicines for them.

 

After the war, Boonpong moved to Bangkok to run a bus business for which the Allies had awarded him nearly 200 vehicles seized from the Imperial Japanese Army.

 

England recognised Boonpong’s cool courage with the George Cross while Dunlop, renowned for his leadership while being held prisoner during World War II, was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth.

 

Together, they the Weary Dunlop-Boonpong Exchange Fellowship Foundation to give scholarships to Thai medical students to study in Australia.

 

Boonpong passed away on January 29, 1982 from an aortic aneurysm. His death was reported in many countries and war veterans praised his bravery and the assistance that saved their lives.

 

In 1998, at the opening of the Hellfire Pass POW Museum, the Australian government formally recognised Boonpong’s courage, by presenting his grandson, Veerawej Subhawat, with a certificate of appreciation for the “unrepayable debt” owed to his grandfather and donated $50,000 (now about Bt1.3 million) to the exchange fellowship.

 

A television soap opera based on Boonpong’s true story was broadcast on Thai PBS in 2013.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30331502

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-13

[Srikcir]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

Boonpong was a local trader who, despite the risk of torture and death,

That wasn't just from the Japanese but no doubt from the Thai government that had allied itself with the Japanese. After the war, Boonpong was attacked by Thai police in some mistaken retribution. https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Boonpong_Sirivejjabhandu

 

[Dave67]

Literally 1 in a Million with all due respect

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

A hero indeed, maybe one in several million as this is the only story about Thai bravery in WWII I have ever heard, and I have looked (not far enough it would seem). Time he got some recognition.

The UK didn't dish out The George Cross for nothing back then, but civil servants and ex-MPs get Knighthoods and Peerages just for doing their well paid jobs these days.

Lord Prescott of Two Jags...

 

Edited November 14, 2017 by George FmplesdaCosteedback

[Boycie]

Good to see there's going to be a change of show after a few years of the same same.

 

Just hope English commentary will be available

 

Preview of the show images below

 

[Somtamnication]

It incenses me after all these years, that this area is used to promote tourism when it was a complete massacre. Thai secondary students have no idea what Thailand did during WW2 nor the 1000s of falang slaves.

 

But, I digress. I am a big fan of Hogan's Heroes. Go figure......

[Jeremy50]

13 minutes ago, Somtamnication said:

It incenses me after all these years, that this area is used to promote tourism when it was a complete massacre. Thai secondary students have no idea what Thailand did during WW2 nor the 1000s of falang slaves.

 

But, I digress. I am a big fan of Hogan's Heroes. Go figure......

It's not taught. Simply, like it never happened.

[geriatrickid]

I  forced myself to visit earlier this year and took the rail line right to the end and was about to make the journey to the concentration/POW camp memorials but turned around and went back as I was so disgusted by the crass commercialization at the train depot. The idea of people  whooping it up along the way was a betrayal  of common decency. The train line is now an affront to the victims of the japanese atrocities. The Poles don't allow souvenir and touts at Auschwitz etc., but it seems that in Thailand it's ok to turn this slave labour tragedy into a profit making enterprise. 

 

Now Thailand wishes to try and reinvent its history and make out that it was heroic despite the fact that Thailand was an active collaborator and aided and abetted the Japanese atrocities. Now, a  glorified soap opera musical will erase the stain of aligning with murderers and cruel savages. If the Thais had any common sense, they would not pursue the issue in any direction except to examine why the nation collaborated and undertook to profit from an alliance with one of the most evil of despot military dictatorships of the last century. The profits of the musical, and of the merchants associated with the death railway are built upon the tortured, starved, beaten and mangled remains of foreigners who gave their lives with the result that Thailand would be liberated from Japanese control.

Thailand  has never expressed gratitude for the sacrifice of allied personnel.  sacrifice is not even addressed in the history taught in Thailand's schools.

And yes, this is a sore point for me.