Tham Lia Chia - KA0229
15.071049,98.571864
Location
The cave is visible from the H323 25.2 km south-east of Sangkhla Buri. Leaving from the bridge, follow the highway for a distance of 200 m in the direction of Thong Pha Phum. Take on the left a track which immediately crosses a small stream. Continue along the track. Pass through a banana plantation and reach a small stream. One passes several bamboo houses and crosses the river to reach the porch. From the H323 it is about 800 m, a 5 min walk.
Description
A small passage leads after a squeeze to a small active streamway where progress is stopped going upstream by a narrow sump which is probably passable in the dry season. The sump has depigmented white fish. Going downstream the water disappears at the bottom of a rift which quickly becomes impenetrable. The guides used by the French expedition said that beyond the sump one reaches a chamber which communicates with another cave. Seasonal sump.
Topographie
APEL, LAURENT; GROUSSOUS, SOPHIE; GUILLOT, FLORENCE; JARLAN, PHILIPPE; LUSCHEVICI, OLIVIER; MAGNE, THIERRY; VACQUIE, JEAN-FRANÃOIS; VISCHI, VAL+RIE (1990) - FFS Grade 4
Documents
Bibliography 05/09/2019- +ANON. (2001g) "Thai Senator lifts lid on Treasure Trove" CNN 16 April 2001 www.edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/0… +ANON. (2001h) "Thai Treasure Cove a Hoax: Officials" CNN 17 April 2001 edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/04/17… +ANON. (2003g) "Senator's gold hunt gone on far too long, says minister" Bangkok Post 29 September 2003 +Anon. (2013f) "Chaowarin gets jail for talisman fraud" Bangkok Post 21 December 2013 +APEL, LAURENT; GROUSSOUS, SOPHIE; GUILLOT, FLORENCE; JARLAN, PHILIPPE; LUSCHEVICI, OLIVIER; MAGNE, THIERRY; VACQUIE, JEAN-FRANÃOIS; VISCHI, VAL+RIE (1990) "Kwai 90 - ExpÚdition SpÚlÚologique en Thailande" SociÚtÚ SpÚlÚologique de l' AriÞge - Pays d' Olmes, Lavelanet 34pp +DUNKLEY, JOHN ROBERT (1995) "The Caves of Thailand" Speleological Research Council, Sydney ISBN 0-9589253-9-9 +Boggett, David John (2002) "Notes on the Thai-Burma Railway Part IV: "An appalling mass crime"" Journal of Kyoto Seika University No. 22 pp104-127 +HORN, ROBERT (2001) "Bullion in Every Pot" Time 30 April 2001 www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,107319,00.ht… +Laskowski, Keith (2019) "Odds ænÆ Sods: The treasure of Leija Cave" The Northern Miner Vol. 105 No. 2 +NATIONAL PARK OFFICE (2006) "National Parks in Thailand" National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Bangkok 280pp +Siriwut, Warut; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Sutcharit, Chirasak; Tongkerd, Piyoros; Panha, +Somsak (2016) "A taxonomic review of the centipede genus Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758 (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae) in mainland Southeast Asia, with description of a new species from Laos" ZooKeys Issue 590 pp1-124 +SMART, DEAN (2000a) "All That Glitters..." Descent No. 156 p19 also published in National Speleological Society News Vol. 58 No. 10 October 2000 +SPILLIUS, ALEX (2001) "Thai Gold Rush Proves To Be A Flash In The Pan" The Daily Telegraph 16 April 2001 +STEWARD, PAUL JAY (2004) "True Tales of Terror in the Caves of the World" Cave Books, Dayton ISBN 0939748914 141pp +SUKPANICH, TUNYA (2001) "Treasure Hunt" Bangkok Post 13 May 2001
History
Six people (4 men and 2 women) were killed by bad air on 23 July 2000 when looking for the fabled Japanese gold. This search became a farce in 2001 and still continues to attract treasure seekers.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4 | Tam Wat Leytia | ||
| 0.7 | Cave KA0134 - KA0134 | 0 | 10 |
| 0.7 | Cave KA0135 - KA0135 | ||
| 2.1 | Wat Way Way (Tham) | ||
| 4.0 | Tham Su Khor [Tham Sukho] [KA0131] | 258 | 39 |
| 7.3 | Cave TF10 - KA0392 | 567 | 101 |
| 7.7 | Tham Turakit Maiset - KA0391 | 757 | 157 |
| 7.7 | Cave TF12 - KA0393 | 388 | 30 |
| 10.1 | Tham Nam Mut - KA0225 | 2938 | 62 |