Khwae Noi River

This article is about Khwae Noi River in Kanchanaburi. For the river in Phitsanulok, seeKhwae Noi River, Phitsanulok.

Khwae Noi River
Typical river houses withthatchedroofs on the River Kwai
Native name	แม่น้ำแควน้อย(Thai)
Location
Country	Thailand
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	NearThree Pagodas Pass
Mouth
• location	Kanchanaburi
Length	278.68 km (173.16 mi)
Basin features
River system	Mae Klong

TheRiver Kwai(/kwaɪ/), more correctlyKhwae Noi(Thai:แควน้อย,pronounced[kʰwɛ̄ːnɔ́ːj],'small tributary') orKhwae Sai Yok(แควไทรโยค,pronounced[kʰwɛ̄ːsājjôːk]), is ariverin westernThailand.It rises to the east of theSalweenin the north–south spine of theBilauktaungrange near, but not over the border withBurma.It begins at the confluence of Ranti,Songkaliaand Bikhli Rivers. AtKanchanaburiit merges with theKhwae Yai Riverto form theMae KlongRiver, which empties into theGulf of ThailandatSamut Songkhram.

The river is chiefly known for its association with thePierre Boullenovel,The Bridge over the River KwaiandDavid Lean'sfilmadaptation of the novel,The Bridge on the River Kwai,in whichAustralian,Dutch,andBritishprisoners of warand indigenous peoples were forced by theJapaneseto construct two parallel bridges spanning a river as part of theBurma Railway,also called the "Railway of Death" or "Thai-Burma Death Railway", due to the many lives lost in its construction. One bridge was wooden and temporary. The other was made of concrete and steel and still exists. The bridges actually spanned the Mae Klong, but as the railway subsequently follows the Khwae Noi Valley, the bridges became famous under the wrong name. In the 1960s, the upper part of the Mae Klong was renamed theKhwae Yai('big tributary').

The river was also used inMichael Cimino's Academy Award-winning film,The Deer Hunter.The prison camp and initialRussian roulettescene was filmed on the Kwai.

A military history of the building of the bridges during World War II can be found inProfessor Peter Davies's biography of the British officerPhilip Toosey,The Man Behind the Bridge: Colonel Toosey and the River Kwai.The book, and an associatedBBCTimewatchdocumentary, challenge many of the inaccuracies portrayed in Boulle's novel and Lean's film.

TheVajiralongkorn Dam(formerly named Khao Laem Dam) andSrinagarind Damsare hydroelectricdamson the river.