At the Bharat Mandapam International Exhibition and Convention Centre, New Delhi, Republic of India, on July 27, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin delivered a keynote address via a teleconference at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee following the decision made by Committee Members of the World Heritage Centre to inscribe “Phu Phrabat” on the World Heritage List. Government Spokesperson Chai Wacharonke disclosed gist as follows:
The Prime Minister expressed appreciation toward the Committee Members of the World Heritage Centre, 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. With Phu Phrabat’s inscription, Thailand’s World Heritage List now includes five cultural and three natural sites. Udon Thani, where this new site is located, is now the only province in Thailand that is home to two World Heritage Sites.
According to the Prime Minister, 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 8th Century, and preserves the largest corpus of Sima stones in the world.
The inscription of Phu Phrabat on the World Heritage List today 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 in 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.
The 46th session of the World Heritage Committee is held during July 21-31, 2024 in New Delhi, Republic of India. At the session, two Thailand’s heritage sites have been included in the agendas, that is, 1) Deliberation on inclusion of Songkhla and its Associated Lagoon Settlements in the the World Heritage Centre’s Tentative Lists; 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. Free entry is set between July 28 – August 12, 2024.
