The 46th session of the World Heritage Committee, being held in New Delhi, Republic of India, between 21 and 31 July, decided to inscribe “Phu Phrabat” in Udon Thani Province, Thailand, on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Education, Science, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Following the decision, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin delivered a keynote address via a teleconference to the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee. In his address, he expressed his gratitude to the Committee Members, the World Heritage Center, and the Advisory Bodies for recognizing the Outstanding Universal Value of “Phu Phrabat, a testimony to the Sima stone tradition of the Dvaravati period,” which led to its inscription on the World Heritage List on 27 July 2024.
The Phu Phrabat site consists of Phu Phrabat Historical Park and the Sima cultural sites. It represents the Sima stone tradition from the Dvaravati period, dating back to around the eighth century, and preserves the largest corpus of Sima stones in the world.
The Prime Minister said that, “With Phu Phrabat’s inscription, Thailand’s World Heritage List now includes five cultural and three natural sites. It is important to note that Udon Thani, where this new site is located, is now the only province in Thailand that is home to two World Heritage Sites.”
He pointed out that the inscription of Phu Phrabat on the World Heritage List is not only significant to Thailand, but it will also benefit future generations. This will bring forth conservation, restoration, and protection efforts at all levels, as well as contributions to academic research in the interest of humankind.
In closing, the Prime Minister stated that he looked forward to welcoming everyone to Thailand to visit the country’s newly inscribed World Heritage Site.
At the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee, two of Thailand’s heritage sites have been included in the agenda, namely 1) Deliberation on inclusion of Songkhla and its Associated Lagoon Settlements in the World Heritage Center’s Tentative List, and 2) Deliberation on inscription of the Phu Phrabat Historical Park and proposal of title change to “Phu Phrabat, a testimony to the Sima stone tradition of the Dvaravati period” on the World Heritage List (Cultural Landscape) for its Outstanding Universal Value. (PRD)
