Ao Manao

WWII Aircraft Park Ao Manao

In my opinion Ao Manao is one of Thailand’s secret treasures, a small part of the country that remains largely unseen by visitors. Pristine golden sand in a beautiful sheltered bay almost enclosed by craggy limestone outcrops. A backdrop that reminds me in many ways of better known resorts found only on the west coast of Thailand around the Andaman Sea.

But Ao Manao is not just about natural beauty, in fact it holds a place in the dark side of Thai history that few are aware of. Here on the day of the Pearl Harbour attack(8th December 1941), Japanese forces landed as part of their master plan for the occupation of SE Asia. Expecting to occupy Thailand without resistance,  the occupying forces in fact met stiff opposition from the small garrison of Thai Airmen based at Ao Manao. In a fight that lasted for about 24 hours the Thais accounted for several hundred Japanese soldiers before finally being ordered to lay down their arms by the government in Bangkok. Thai losses were relatively small(around 40).

A dark day in Thai history? Certainly not as far as the brave airmen of Ao Manao were concerned, since history records many heroic actions, including a pilot who managed to take off and attack the Japanese fleet. Unfortunately though the then Philbun government of Thailand had other ideas giving free access to the Nippon forces in return for the seeding back of areas of disputed territory in the East and South of  modern day Thailand.

This act was at least partly or indirectly to blame for the subsequent suffering of many Thais/Asian labourers and Allied prisoners of war pressed into hard labour on the infamous Death Railway(Thai-Burma Railway).

WWII Memorial Ao Manao

Today Ao Manao is a tranquil place and there is little to mark its WWII history. Exploring the base away from the beach you will find a beautiful memorial crafted from green sandstone, that marks the site of the battle of Ao Manao.

There is also a small museum, open only on Saturdays.  Although the content is somewhat disappointing, a walk through the old wooden barracks does give a sense of what it might have been like when the airmen made their stand. Outside on a grassy area there is also a small collection of WWII aircraft, some of which were based at Ao Manao in December 1941.

Spectacled Langur and Baby

Besides the history and obvious sea side attractions of Ao Manao you will also find a full size golf course set in the grounds, a large hotel and nature lovers might  like to track down the troop of Spectacled Langurs that live on the base and can usually be found at the foot of a limestone crag a short distance directly East of the museum. The animals are quite tame since they are fed by visitors and if you are lucky you might see a juvenile monkey since they are bright orange when born.

Although Ao Manao is set within the confines of an active Royal Thai Air-force base  access is permitted to most areas with few restrictions on movement. Foreigners should sign in a the main gate manned by the very friendly Air Force staff.

Getting there:

The northern entrance to Ao Manao bay is located at the southern end of Prachuap Khiri Khan town. Access to the base can also be gained from the southern entrance near the village of Khlong Wan.(see map)

GPS: Northern entrance- 11.79639 and 99.80125

Southern entrance- 11.762474 and 99.795763

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