Pilog Mine

Pilok Mine

Useful Information

Location:	60 km west of Amphoe Thong Pha Phum on Route 3272. Tanaosri Mountain range at the Thai-Burmese border.
Open:
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Classification:	Tin Mine Tungsten
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
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Address:	Pilog Local Administraton, Tel: +66-34-599-568. Thailand Tourism Authority, Kanchanaburi office, Tel: +66-34-511-200, Tel: +66-34-512-500
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

This place was originally mined by Burmese people who sold the ore to the British. Nat Eng Tong (the mountain of God) is located close to the Burmese border, on the Tanao Si Range, which forms the natural border between the country. Actually the accessibility from Burma is better than from Thailand.

In 1939 the Thai government sent officials of the Mineral Resources Department and the Ministry of Industry to explore the deposits. Soon a mine was opened, the start of the official Thai mining operations. But the mine workers from Myanmar still tried to smuggle ore and sell it directly to England. There was a big fight between the workers and the police during which many people were killed. As a result the locals thought the city was haunted, and used the term peelork (haunted) in their language. The Burmese did not understand the term, so they called the city Pilog, a name which stayed and became the name of the mine.

Today there is a mineral museum and some abandoned tunnels which may be visited. The mine has been closed some decades ago.